Donor-derived regulatory dendritic cell infusion and early immunosuppressive drug withdrawal in living-donor liver transplantation: a phase I/IIa trial.

When someone receives an organ transplant, their immune system naturally wants to attack the foreign tissue. To stop this, patients typically take powerful anti-rejection drugs for the rest of their lives. But a new study suggests a creative workaround. Researchers tested a treatment using regulatory dendritic cells, a special type of immune cell that acts like a peacekeeper. By taking these cells from the organ donor and infusing them into the patient a week before a living-donor liver transplant, the scientists hoped to teach the recipient's immune system to tolerate the new organ.

In this early-stage clinical trial, the research team focused on safety and feasibility. The procedure proved to be safe and well tolerated. Of the 13 patients analyzed in the study, eight met the criteria to begin slowly withdrawing from their anti-rejection medications a year after their surgery. Ultimately, four patients were able to stop taking the drugs entirely.

Even more promising, three of those patients have remained completely off all immunosuppression drugs for an average of three years. This represents a 37.5 percent success rate among the eligible patients. However, the researchers are careful to note that this is a small, exploratory trial. With only 13 evaluated patients, much larger studies will be necessary to confirm if this cell therapy works reliably.