Bone Marrow Mixture May Ease Transplants

Mixing bone marrow from transplant patients and organ donors may help some patients to stop taking anti-rejection drugs. That’s the conclusion of a small study published March 7. Most people with transplants take drugs to prevent their immune system from attacking the new organ. The study included eight people who were getting kidney transplants. Researchers first treated them with drugs to draw out stem cells from their bone marrow. These cells produce all of the cells in blood, including immune cells. Other drugs or radiation were used to reduce but not destroy the patients’ bone marrow. Two weeks later, they received their kidney transplants. They also received a mixture of their own bone marrow, stem cells and bone marrow from the kidney donor. Cells had been added and subtracted to make it more transplant-friendly.