Evaluation of Donor Specific Immune Senescence and Exhaustion as Biomarkers of Tolerance Post Liver Transplantation

Summary

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Description

People who have liver transplants must take anti-rejection medication (immunosuppression) for the rest of their lives. If they stop, their immune system may reject the transplanted liver. All anti-rejection medications have side effects. Because of the side effects of anti-rejection medications, an ...

People who have liver transplants must take anti-rejection medication (immunosuppression) for the rest of their lives. If they stop, their immune system may reject the transplanted liver. All anti-rejection medications have side effects. Because of the side effects of anti-rejection medications, an important goal of transplant research is to allow people to accept their transplanted organ without long term use of anti-rejection medications. This is called tolerance. In this study, participants who received a liver transplant will have their anti-rejection medication(s) gradually reduced over a period of time and then stopped. The study calls this 'immunosuppression withdrawal'. The purpose of this research study is to see how many people will develop tolerance after immunosuppression withdrawal. The researchers also want to find out if there are blood or liver biopsy tests that can help transplant doctors in the future predict whether it is safe to decrease or stop anti-rejection medications in people who received a liver transplant.

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