Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's school of medicine in Philadelphia may have found a new way to provide patients with organ transplants.
David S. Goldberg, MD, and Peter Reese, MD, are studying kidneys from deceased donors who were infected with Hepatitis C. At present, those with Hepatitis C are only eligible to donate organs to others with the infection, to reduce risk of spreading the virus. However, Drs. Goldberg and Reese are investigating whether Hepatitis C-infected kidneys may be safely transplanted into patients who do not have Hepatitis C.
Here's what you need to know about the clinical trial:
1. The researchers identified donated kidneys that were infected with a certain strain of the Hepatitis C virus. These kidneys underwent a viral treatment, which has a 95 percent success rate in eradicating this strain of Hepatitis C.
2. The researchers plan to transplant and treat 10 patients in this clinical trial. After a participant receives a Hepatitis C-infected kidney, he or she is treated with an oral Hepatitis C medication.
3. The first participant received a kidney transplant in July 2016. Her physicians recently announced that there is no evidence of the virus in her blood.
4. Drs. Goldberg and Reese estimate that if Hepatitis C-infected kidneys can safely enter the organ donation market, at least 500 more kidneys could become available each year.