A new study published in Nature looks at kidney transplants from GM pigs into primates. Prof Dusko Ilic, Professor of Stem … read more
A case study published in BJOG looks at a living donor uterus transplant in the UK. Mr Stuart Lavery, … read more
A paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) looks at the results of 2 cases of pig-to-human … read more
It has been announced that David Bennett, the man who received a pig heart transplant in January 2022 has died. … read more
Research published in Nature demonstrates that baboons implanted with genetically modified pig hearts have been able to survive for up to 195 days. read more
Some media are reporting that a human head transplant has been carried out on a corpse in China. read more
A paper published in the Lancet journal has looked at treatment of multiple sclerosis and reports the efficacy of chemotherapy to ablate the immune system followed by a stem cell transplant. read more
Publishing in the journal Science, a research group has reported their use of the CRISPR-Cas9 system to modify genes in pigs with the aim of improving acceptance of organs transplanted into humans. read more
Despite a 50% increase in deceased organ donation, there is still a significant gap between the need and availability of organs for transplant. NHS Blood and Transplant together with the four UK health departments have led the development of a new strategy will look to achieve a revolution in attitudes to organ donation across the UK. read more
A 51-year-old man became the first person in the UK to have a hand transplant after surgery at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI). The patient underwent the complex eight-hour procedure on December 27 when a donor hand became available. read more
Research demonstrating the feasibility of restoring vision after retinal degeneration by transplanting photoreceptor cells was published in Nature, by demonstrating functional vision in visually impaired adult mice having undergone transplantation.
The Lancet has announced the successful transplantation of the world’s first tissue-engineered airway, created using the patient’s own stem cells to ensure that there was no possibility of immune rejection. read more
The SMC hosted The Lancet for this briefing, to announce the successful results of the transplantation of the first tissue-engineered airway, which has massively improved the quality of life of the female recipient. The airway was created using the patient’s own stem cells, to ensure that there was no probability of immune rejection. read more
Recently, Lord Robert Winston announced that he was being forced to move his xenotransplantation work (involving transplanting cells and tissues from animals to humans to overcome the shortage of human transplant material) to California because of the strict regulation of animal research in the UK. This created further controversy when the former head of the HFEA raised concerns about the safety of this field of research. In this briefing, Lord Winston and his main collaborator discussed their work on breeding transgenic pigs to produce cells and tissues for potential transplantation. read more
The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) is an independent advisory body set up last year by the Government to provide advice on the most appropriate way to ensure the safety of blood, tissues, cells and organs for transfusion or transplantation. One of their concerns is reducing the risk of transmitting vCJD through blood transfusions (which is in itself rare). At this background briefing, members of SaBTO gave their views on the level of risk and what measures SaBTO are taking o reduce it. read more
In a landmark event organised by the Human Tissue Authority (HTA), an altruistic kidney donor and her recipient were brought together publicly for the first time in the UK to talk about their experience of living-donor transplants. This follows on from the first paired altruistic kidney transplants which took place earlier this year. read more
The research, published in the journal Nature, found that transplanting genetically engineered muscle cells into the hearts of mice who had been induced to have heart attacks reduced the risk of a condition called ventricular tachycardia. read more
The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) announced a milestone for the UK in organ transplantation: the first paired kidney transplantation, in which donors and recipients who do not match are paired with others in the same situation, allowing more patients to benefit. read more
Medical Research Council (MRC) scientists have published a report showing how they ‘cured blindness’ in mice using retinal stem cells implanted into their eyes. read more
Scientists commented following the announcement of Ethics Committee approval for face transplantation to be carried out by a team at the Royal Free Hospital, London read more
