Receiving a kidney transplant is the preferred treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, wait times to receive a transplant can be long, and the cost of medication to maintain the transplant is very high. Transplanted organs typically last around 10 years, if taken care of well. However, researchers at the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute at the University of Pittsburgh may have found the answer to prevent organ rejection. Fadi Lakkis, the scientific director at the transplantation institute, believed ideally, an organ transplant would last the rest of the patient’s life. Not only this, but the drugs that suppress the [...]

For several years, kidneys infected with Hepatitis C have been considered unfit for transplants due to the risk for transmission. However, with a new wave of antiviral medications shown to cure Hepatitis C, doctors at the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University are planning to attempt transplants with kidneys from deceased Hepatitis C carriers. The patient who receives the kidney would then undergo a 12-week antiviral drug regimen to treat the disease. The trial’s leaders caution that the drugs won’t work for every participant, but argue the process has the potential to eliminate the waste that comes with the disposal [...]