Durbin, Cochran Introduce Legislation to Help Organ Transplant Patients
U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Thad Cochran (R-MS), and Scott Brown (R-MA) recently introduced bipartisan legislation to improve the quality of life for people with kidney disease. The Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act would assist thousands of Americans under the age of 65 who are being cut off from Medicare after 36 months by extending coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for kidney transplant recipients. Dr. Robert Gaston, AST President, is quoted in the article. Read more

New Alternative to Immunosuppressive Treatment After Kidney Transplants Without Severe Side Effects
There is now a new alternative to immunosuppressive treatment after kidney transplants which comes without the usual severe side effects. The Medical University was significantly involved in the clinical development of the active ingredient Belatacept and a suitable preparation has now been given EU-wide authorization. Read more

How Patient with Double Lung Transplant is Beating the Odds
Fewer than half of lung transplant patients survive for five years. But nearly 14 years after receiving a double-lung transplant at Loyola University Medical Center, Damian Neuberger's lungs continue to function normally. He breathes easily while walking four or five miles a day. Read more

Living Kidney Donors Push for Better Data on Risks
Most kidney donors are not tracked over time, meaning no one knows exactly how many have died or suffered other medical complications as a result of their generosity. Though 146 living donors were placed on the kidney waiting list between January 1996 and February 2007, that number is widely regarded as an underestimate of how many lost kidney function. Read more

Oswaldtwistle Pioneering Transplant Surgeon to Retire
Professor John Wallwork has worked at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge during a 30 year career at the forefront of transplant surgery. He was part of the team that carried out the world's first successful heart-lung transplant in America and in 1984 he performed the first successful operation in Europe at the hospital. Read more