IOWA CITY, Iowa, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. medical scientists say they've determined embryonic stem cells might reduce transplantation rejection,
Researchers from the University of Iowa and the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center said immune-defense cells influenced by embryonic stem cell-derived cells helped prevent the rejection of hearts transplanted into mice and without the use of immunosuppressive drugs.
The scientists said their findings have implications for possible improvements in organ and bone marrow transplantation for humans.
People who need bone marrow or solid organ transplantation must take immunosuppressive drugs that can cause side effects nearly as severe as the disease they have.
"The idea behind the study is to 'prep' a recipient's immune system to make it receptive to the eventual organ or bone marrow donor's genetic makeup," said Dr. Nicholas Zavazava, a professor of internal medicine and also a researcher and staff physician at the medical center. "The approach involves taking embryonic stem cells with the same genetic background as the donor from which the organ or bone marrow ultimately will come and adapting them into another type of stem cell that can be injected into the recipient."
The study is detailed in the online journal PLoS One.
