University of Wisconsin–Madison: A new kidney - free of daily meds

Thanks to a cutting-edge clinical trial at UW–Madison, transplant patients are returning to a healthy life without anti-rejection drugs. Led by UW–Madison surgery professor Dr. Dixon Kaufman, who directs the UW Health Transplant Center, the team shared results of a Phase 3 clinical trial that evaluated the effectiveness and safety of a living kidney transplant tolerance protocol that also includes the transplantation of certain stem cells from the kidney donor to the transplant recipient.

These stem cells are injected into the recipient several days after transplantation and take up residence in bone marrow, where they divide and multiply into immune cells that share the genes of the donated organ. The goal is to keep the recipient's immune system from attacking the new organ, which it would otherwise recognize as a threat. "This procedure doesn't replace the immune system, but it complements it with around 5 to 10% of the immune system being from the donor," says Kaufman.

In doing so, the new method removes the need for costly anti-rejection medications that severely suppress the recipient's immune system, carrying a whole host of lifelong side effects. The studies that enabled this clinical trial received substantial support over the years from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Kaufman credits UW–Madison's proven track record of executing complex biomedical research for the sustained federal investment. "The clinical and research environments at UW are outstanding" he says. "I've been to other programs, trained at other programs, and been faculty at other programs, and the unique things that make the ability to do complicated clinical trials like this successful at the University of Wisconsin are the strong collaborative culture and fantastic resources.

We've got a history and a tradition of advancing the field in innovative ways for the benefit of many. We want to keep reaching higher and keep making those advances."