The Germinal Centre Reaction in Alloantibody Formation

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  The Germinal Centre Reaction in Alloantibody Formation

• IRAS ID

  136201

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Oxford

• Research summary

  Kidney failure requiring kidney replacement therapy (end-stage renal failure, ESRF) affects over 3 million people worldwide. The best way of treating ESRF is to perform a kidney transplant, giving a donated kidney to the patient. However, kidney transplants do not last forever, the body’s immune system recognises the transplant as being different, and attacks it as if it were a bug such a flu virus. Currently we use strong medications to dampen down the immune system and prevent this; however these medications increase the risk of infection and cancer. Maintaining the balance between keeping the organ alive and preventing severe infection or cancer is difficult. Most transplanted kidneys do well early on, but by 10 years following a transplant, nearly half will have failed, mostly because the immune system starts to attack them despite the medication. When this happens, patients need another form of kidney replacement therapy, or can have another transplant. With each new transplant, it becomes harder to dampen down the immune system. Therefore it is better to make the transplant last for as long as possible. Research is needed to understand how to prolong the life of the transplant without significantly increasing the risk of cancers or infection. One way of doing this would be to see what is different between a patient whose immune system attacks the transplant, and one whose immune system is controlled by medication. This will help find new ways of dampening down the immune system, and be able to tell who is at risk of attacking the transplant and hence needs strong medication, and who can have less medication, therefore reducing the risk of cancer or infection. We will recruit patients from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust to help answer these questions. Funding has been provided by the Medical Research Council.

• REC name

  South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  14/SC/0091

• Date of REC Opinion

  17 Feb 2014

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion