Donor-Alloantigen-Reactive Regulatory T Cell (darTregs) in Liver Transplantation

After liver transplantation, immunosuppressants must be taken every day to prevent the body from injuring the transplanted liver by a process called rejection. People who take these drugs may experience side effects. Studies show that some of body's cells, called T regulatory cells (Tregs), may play a part in accepting the transplanted liver. The investigators are learning about whether scientists can take Tregs from the blood of a liver transplant recipient and teach them to protect the transplanted liver from rejection. In the laboratory, the recipient Tregs are exposed to cells from the liver donor. Research data suggests that giving these "donor reactive" Tregs back to the transplant recipient might allow a liver transplant recipient to take lower doses of immunosuppressants, or perhaps to stop them altogether, without rejecting the liver.