By better matching donors and recipients, the project aims to prevent organ rejection and reduce the need for patients to take harmful immune-suppressing drugs, leading to better health outcomes and quality of life.
“Our research is introducing a new form of precision medicine for transplant patients that could ultimately reduce the need for subsequent organ transplants,” says principal investigator Dr. Paul Keown, a professor of nephrology at UBC’s Faculty of Medicine and a specialist in immunology and transplantation at Vancouver General Hospital. “By reducing the risk of immune response through epitope-matching, we can give organ transplant patients the best chance at long-standing organ health with fewer complications.”
