Type: research
Status: Published Research
Developer: Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford researchers have cracked a major code in transplant medicine: how to get a body to accept foreign islet cells without dangerous immunosuppression. By depleting specific immune cells and conditioning the host with radiation-free methods, they achieved long-term acceptance of mismatched islets in mice. This could remove the biggest barrier to widespread stem cell cures.
The method involves a dual-antibody conditioning regimen that selectively depletes the host's hematopoietic stem cells and T-cells, creating 'space' for a donor bone marrow transplant. This establishes a mixed immune system (chimerism) that recognizes the subsequent islet transplant as 'self,' preventing rejection permanently.
Year: 2025