Delivering tiny drug packages to donated kidneys to protect them from injury during transplant
Dr Vasilis Kosmoliaptsis from the University of Cambridge has received a Professor Michael Nicholson research project grant of £240,000 co-funded with the Stoneygate Trust to look at using tiny, bioengineered drug packages to block inflammation and reduce damage to donated kidneys during transplant.
Donated kidneys are damaged by inflammation during transplantation
During the kidney transplantation process, blood supply to the donated kidney must be stopped before the kidney is removed, transported, then implanted into the recipient. At each of these stages the kidney can become injured. Chemical signals released as a result of injury to the kidney can activate the immune system in the recipient, which although designed to protect our bodies from infection, in this case attacks and damages the cells of the transplanted kidney.
There are over 6,000 people in the UK on the waiting list and six people die every week waiting for a kidney transplant. There is an urgent need for new ways to increase the quality and long-term health of donated kidneys, making more available for transplant and ensuring they are healthier for longer.
Meet Dr Vasilis Kosmoliaptsis
Dr Vasilis Kosmoliaptsis is a transplant surgeon and leads a research group at the University of Cambridge who look at new ways of improving outcomes for transplant patients. The Michael Nicholson Research Project grant will enable him to work with a bioengineering research group to look at new ways to protect the kidney during transplantation.
“We do not have enough kidneys to meet the needs of our patients and waiting lists are increasing. It is important we identify ways to improve the quality of donated kidneys, both to make more available and to reduce the risks for transplant patients who are more likely to have complications if the donated kidney doesn’t work well for a prolonged period.
Extracellular vesicles are good at getting into the kidney tissue, better than a drug, so are a highly promising way of delivering drugs and other therapeutics to the kidney cells. We hope using our bioengineered extracellular vesicles we can improve the health and function of donated kidneys.” Dr Vasilis Kosmoliaptsis
Protecting donated kidneys
Vasilis and his team previously found that when blood flow to the kidney is stopped and then re-started inflammation is ‘switched on’. Extracellular vesicles, tiny packages bound by a membrane used by cells to deliver molecules to each other, will be engineered to contain drugs to block the pathway to inflammation. These engineered extracellular vesicles will be tested in human kidneys donated to research, and miniature kidneys grown in the laboratory, called ‘organoids’, to see if they can reduce inflammation.
Vasilis and the team will then look at engineering the kidney’s own cells to produce the extracellular vesicles containing inhibitors of inflammation, so these could continue to be released in the immediate period following transplant surgery.
Looking for future treatment options
Developing a therapy that could reduce kidney injury during the transplant process could improve the long-term health and function of kidney transplants, as well as improving the quality of donated kidney and number that are acceptable for transplant, meaning more patients could receive a transplant sooner.
Have you been diagnosed with kidney disease?
Request your free Kidney Kit today.
You'll find tips and support from kidney patients, delicious recipes, simple exercise plans and more.
Why not make a donation now?
Every £ counts towards transforming treatments for people living with kidney disease.