New Delhi: Organ transplant patients, who have to spend the rest of their life taking anti-rejection drugs could soon find relief, thanks to a new path-breaking procedure which eliminates the need for medication.
The process, in which the bone marrow of the organ donor is transplanted along with the donated organ, could become mainstream in three years, according to director, Transplantation Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr David Sachs.
Dr Sachs’ team has already carried out the procedure in 11 patients.
It is already in the in the clinic, he says.
However, they must still be "considered experimental" for now, he said.
Senior consultant and surgeon at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Dr A S Soin says that people in India could also reap the benefits from the new method around the same time as others.
"According to my estimate, it will take around three to five years," he said.
The principle behind the path-breaking procedure is simple.
Normally, the disease fighting immune cells of the patient tries to kill the transplanted organ, which is why drugs are used to suppress them.
By transplanting the bone marrow of the donor along with the organ, immune cells present in the marrow recognises the organ and rejection is avoided.
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