Posted on May 08, 2018
Source: WFYI-FM (Indianapolis)
The National Institutes of Health announced Monday the launch of a large scale clinical trial that will expand efforts to give more HIV positive transplant candidates new kidneys.
The new study will track 160 kidney transplants. Recipients will be monitored after surgery for signs of organ rejection, organ failure, and HIV-related complications. Half of the people who participate in the trial will receive HIV positive kidneys and half will receive virus free kidneys. This will allow doctors to more accurately predict risk after these transplants, and offer the procedure to more people with HIV on the transplant waiting list.
The trial comes on the heels of a milestone for Indiana and the country. For the first time last month, the Indiana Donor Network recovered organs from an HIV positive donor and successfully matched a kidney and a liver to two people who needed them. Historically an HIV positive donor meant organs couldn’t be used.
