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The concept of re-educating the immune system, or establishing transplant tolerance, is most appealing, since it would allow permanent survival of a transplant (islets or whole organs) without the need for chronic immunosuppression.
DRI scientists are developing new methods to re-educate the immune system by using bone marrow cells from the same donor as the insulin-producing islet cells.
Tolerance can be achieved in small animals by several means, including bone marrow transplantation. It has been shown that the co-existence of donor and recipient bone marrow cells (a state called chimerism), can help the recipient see the new donor islets, or any subsequent transplant from that same donor, as “self.”
Researchers are testing approaches that will safely and effectively promote the co-existence of donor and recipient immune systems.
If successful, this will allow the recipient to discontinue or minimize drug therapy and make the transplant recipient “tolerant” to the new islet cells while allowing the immune system to fight off other unwanted invaders.
Currently, one of the DRI’s major initiatives focuses on testing clinically-safe pre-conditioning regimens to achieve chimerism after bone marrow transplantation.
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DRI Researcher
Norma Kenyon, Ph. D.
Bone marrow cells
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