Histological image of a kidney transplant rejection mediated by antibodies. Sophie Caillard/Jérome Olagne (Inserm U1109).
Histological image of a kidney transplant rejection mediated by antibodies. Sophie Caillard/Jérome Olagne (Inserm U1109) . Although a kidney transplant is the only curative treatment for end-stage kidney disease, the risk of the patient's body rejecting the graft means that success is not guaranteed. To reduce this risk, physicians are now able to look at a certain number of genetic and immunological parameters in order to evaluate the histocompatibility between donor and recipient - i.e. how compatible their organs and tissues are. Nevertheless, rejections continue to remain common, and many are unexplained. In a new study, researchers from Inserm, Université de Strasbourg and Strasbourg University Hospitals at Unit 1109 "Molecular Immunology and Rheumatology", and their partners from the Laboratory of Excellence (LabEx) Transplantex, report that the MICA gene is a new histocompatibility gene, in that it helps to better explain and predict the success or failure of a kidney transplant. Their findings have been published in Nature Medicine .
TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.