Skin patch hope for transplant patients
PATIENTS receiving an organ transplant will be given a skin graft taken from the same donor in a trial which could halve rejection rates.
The skin patches will be grafted onto the bodies of people who are undergoing lung transplants.
Doctors believe they can act as an ‘early warning system’ by alerting them if the new organ is likely to be rejected before serious damage is done.
Experts said that, if successful, the trial could ‘revolutionise’ transplants in the UK.
The £2million trial, led by the Surgical Trials Unit at the University of Oxford, will see 152 patients enrolled over the next three years.
A 10x3cm skin patch from the forearm of the organ donor will be transplanted onto the patient’s own forearm by a plastic surgeon.
If a rash appears, it will alert doctors to adapt treatment – hopefully reducing the chances of the lung being rejected.
It follows success in a similar trial for intestinal transplant patients.
Henk Giele, chief investigator at the University of Oxford, said: ‘Lungs are prone to rejection due to their exposure to outside air and high propensity to infection.
‘It is often difficult to know if a reaction is caused by infection or rejection as they look the same at the early stages, but the treatments for each are completely opposite. A visible warning system like this is crucial for all transplants, but especially those with higher rejection rates.’
Previous trials found skin displayed a rash between one and ten days before organ rejection. Those who received patches from their donors had a far lower rate of organ rejection – with experts saying it could be cut by up to 50 per cent.
When there are no signs of rejection, this could be used to lower levels of medication taken to stop the immune system attacking the ‘foreign’ organ – minimising side effects including higher risks of cancer and diabetes.
Fiona Ballantyne, who is on the waiting list for a lung transplant after being diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension in 2019, will be on the trial if a suitable donor is found.
The 56-year-old, from Camelon, Falkirk, said: ‘The opportunity to potentially be able to see if your organ is rejecting just by looking at your arm is huge for those of us who are facing transplants.
‘Not only because of the fact we could receive treatment earlier than if we didn’t have the patch but also for the peace of mind it would offer, being able to consult the skin patch whenever we feel under the weather.’
Adam Alderson, 44, from Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, has already received a graft as part of a multi-organ transplant in 2015.
He said: ‘I feel safer knowing that I have a tool available to tell if something is going wrong before it becomes too serious.
‘It’s almost like an oil warning light on your car.’
‘A crucial visible warning system’