A new method of scientists will increase the chances of a successful liver transplant

Chinese scientists have announced a possible solution to the problem of cellular rejection during liver cell transplantation. The technique developed by researchers at the University of Science and Technology (USTC) in collaboration with colleagues from Nanjing Medical University has already been successfully tested on laboratory rats, but has not yet passed clinical trials.

According to China Daily, cellular rejection today is one of the main problems in organ transplantation. Immediately after surgery, the patient is prescribed such immunosuppressive medications as Tacrolimus, which inhibits T-cell signaling pathways.

However, while oral administration of the drug in the form of capsules leads to side effects.


The first experiments of Chinese scientists on rats showed that Tacrolimus, encapsulated in two hydrogels and applied to the scar surface during transplantation, has a better inhibitory effect on activated T-cells than with the traditional use of an immunosuppressive drug.

Experiments on liver transplantation show that with the same dose of Tacrolimus in recipients of rats in the group where the gel was used, the median survival increased significantly, reaching 22 days, while in rats treated with Tacrolimus in the usual way, the median survival was only 13 days.