Research Group
- Dr. Robert Zhong, Principal Investigator
- Dr. Anthony M. Jevnikar, Co-Investigator
Location
- University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
Title
- Developing New Agents for Organ Transplantation
Organ transplantation is the most desirable treatment for many patients with end-stage organ failure. Transplantation offers an excellent opportunity for rehabilitation, allowing patients to resume their normal lifestyle. However, patients after transplantation must take anti-rejection drugs for a lifetime, and there are shortcomings and disadvantages of chronic use of these drugs. These drugs lead to diminishing long-term graft survival, impact negatively on patient quality of life and increase significantly the long-term costs of transplantation. We propose to use a novel therapy to manipulate the mouse immune system to accept a foreign organ permanently without the long-term use of toxic drugs. Positive results will lead to preclinical non-human primate studies. Our final goal is to let patients accept organs without fear of rejection or complications from toxic immunosuppression.
