This is a medical breakthrough

peterloo · 03-18-08, 07:39 AM

The team did a fabulous job

In this way, I'm sure organ transplants will be hindered by the immunity reaction in a much lessor extent, and definitely more lives can be saved.

Keep it up!

Yahoshua · 03-18-08, 08:23 AM

This made me stop and wonder for a second.

Would this discovery make it easier for patients in need of organ transplants to afford such operations?

I'm not too keen on the specifics of organ transplants but I understand that how the procedure works now, in order for one to receive a transplant one must have the same blood type and meet specific health criteria (nonsmoker, no contagious disease) to qualify right?

caspofungin · 03-18-08, 12:54 PM

i can't read german, so i can't comment on that article specifically, but 2 institutions in the us (stanford and i think someplace in boston) have already reported 2 seperate techniques that have allowed them to keep kidney recipients off immunosuppressants for 3 and 5 years respectively.

Wolfehunter · 03-18-08, 01:09 PM

I see only one problem with this wonderful technology:hmm: .. Well two problems,

First is the pharmaceutical industry. They will loose a major busness on there medical products aka drugs.

Second will be who could afford the unique medical treatments? Will it be for just the privileged or everyone?

Great to know you can smoke till your lungs are black and say I want to replace them with new grown young ones.

Or remove my cancerous tissue with a new one. This is all great on paper but is it practical? Will it work in our sad world of the

I would be nice to see this medical breakthrough available for the world.

Jimbuna · 03-18-08, 01:29 PM

Yeah, we've seen these 'wonder' drugs released in the past, but they are generally unaffordable on the NHS (UK) and mostly available to those who are wealthy enough to be able to afford them.

I hope this will not be the case here.

FIREWALL · 03-18-08, 01:39 PM

This is a huge medical achievement.

caspofungin · 03-18-08, 01:50 PM

iirc, one of the us techniques used whole body irradiation to wipe out the recipient's immune system, then along with the transplanted kidney, the recipient was given certain cells from the donors immune system. as the immune system recovered from the radiation, the kidney wasn't recognized as non-self, so no immune reaction.

no new wonder drugs involved, just refinements of techniques already in use.

the cost of life-time immunosuppression, the transplant operation itself, etc. is much less than the procedures associated with lifetime dialysis, to say nothing of the significant improvement in both quantitity and quality of life, so there usually isn't any argument on the basis of cost in the nhs.

also, the major issue with transplantation is donor availability -- immunosuppression techniques already available are safe and well tolerated. even if someone came up with a cheap, effective method for immune tolerance tomorrow, most people wouldn't benefit because there's no point without available livers or kidneys.

03-18-08, 07:39 AM	#1
peterloo Commander Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 462 Downloads: 2 Uploads: 0	The team did a fabulous job In this way, I'm sure organ transplants will be hindered by the immunity reaction in a much lessor extent, and definitely more lives can be saved. Keep it up! __________________ Romeo is here, but where is Juliet? The 中国水兵 (Chinese Sailor) in subsim

03-18-08, 08:23 AM	#2
Yahoshua The Old Man Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 1,493 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	This made me stop and wonder for a second. Would this discovery make it easier for patients in need of organ transplants to afford such operations? I'm not too keen on the specifics of organ transplants but I understand that how the procedure works now, in order for one to receive a transplant one must have the same blood type and meet specific health criteria (nonsmoker, no contagious disease) to qualify right? __________________ Science is the organized unpredictability that strives not to set limits to mans' capabilities, but is the engine by which the limits of mans' understanding is defined-Yahoshua

03-18-08, 01:09 PM	#4
Wolfehunter Crusty Capt. Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2,752 Downloads: 40 Uploads: 25	I see only one problem with this wonderful technology:hmm: .. Well two problems, First is the pharmaceutical industry. They will loose a major busness on there medical products aka drugs. Second will be who could afford the unique medical treatments? Will it be for just the privileged or everyone? Great to know you can smoke till your lungs are black and say I want to replace them with new grown young ones. Or remove my cancerous tissue with a new one. This is all great on paper but is it practical? Will it work in our sad world of the I would be nice to see this medical breakthrough available for the world. __________________

03-18-08, 01:29 PM	#5
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 190,552 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	Yeah, we've seen these 'wonder' drugs released in the past, but they are generally unaffordable on the NHS (UK) and mostly available to those who are wealthy enough to be able to afford them. I hope this will not be the case here. __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!!

03-18-08, 01:39 PM	#6
FIREWALL Eternal Patrol Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: CATALINA IS. SO . CAL USA Posts: 10,108 Downloads: 511 Uploads: 0	This is a huge medical achievement. __________________ RIP FIREWALL I Play GWX. Silent Hunter Who ???

03-18-08, 12:54 PM	#3
caspofungin Commander Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 459 Downloads: 41 Uploads: 0	i can't read german, so i can't comment on that article specifically, but 2 institutions in the us (stanford and i think someplace in boston) have already reported 2 seperate techniques that have allowed them to keep kidney recipients off immunosuppressants for 3 and 5 years respectively.

03-18-08, 01:50 PM	#7
caspofungin Commander Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 459 Downloads: 41 Uploads: 0	iirc, one of the us techniques used whole body irradiation to wipe out the recipient's immune system, then along with the transplanted kidney, the recipient was given certain cells from the donors immune system. as the immune system recovered from the radiation, the kidney wasn't recognized as non-self, so no immune reaction. no new wonder drugs involved, just refinements of techniques already in use. the cost of life-time immunosuppression, the transplant operation itself, etc. is much less than the procedures associated with lifetime dialysis, to say nothing of the significant improvement in both quantitity and quality of life, so there usually isn't any argument on the basis of cost in the nhs. also, the major issue with transplantation is donor availability -- immunosuppression techniques already available are safe and well tolerated. even if someone came up with a cheap, effective method for immune tolerance tomorrow, most people wouldn't benefit because there's no point without available livers or kidneys.