A new study published in the American Journal of Transplantation presents an innovative new approach to kidney transplantation management, offering hope that kidney transplant patients could one day replace their daily pill regimen with a monthly therapy.
Currently, patients who have had a kidney transplant must take a cocktail of pills every day for the rest of their lives. These standard immunosuppressants prevent the immune system from attacking the new organ, but over time may damage kidney function and become less effective. The new approach aims to not only simplify treatment adherance, but also mitigate the damaging side effects of these standard therapies.
Senior author Allan D. Kirk, MD, PhD, David C. Sabiston Jr. Professor of Surgery, says that the next phase will see if the study's findings can be replicated in a larger patient pool. “We hope that most patients can be spared the toxic effects of immunosuppressants, which would be reserved for those with certain high-risk factors," he says.