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Permanent Transplant Tolerance by Induction of Modified T-Cell Regulation

Summary

Lead Inventors: Hong Jiang, M.D., Ph.D. and Leonard Chess, M.D.Problem or Unmet Need:The human immune response, differentiating self from other, while critical to our health and survival, can itself become a hindrance, even life threatening when a tissue transplant is necessary. The regimen of treatment for transplant recipients typically consists of immuno-suppressive therapy to mute the body's natural response to foreign invaders. This approach leaves the patient compromised and susceptible to infection, rendering everyday pathogens life threatening. There is a clear need for a more precise, targeted means of achieving graft tolerance while preserving overall immune function. The invention is a treatment protocol for inducing transplant tolerance without inhibiting global immune function. The treatment relies on insight into the stages of mounting immune response and the checks and balances the immune system employs to manage immune response, particularly autoimmunity, to establish permanent graft acceptance without need for lifelong immunosuppressive therapy. There are two stages involved. In the first stage acute graft rejection is circumvented through transfusion of donor cells, and subsequent transformation of donor specific high avidity T-Cells response for acute rejection. In the second stage long term graft rejection is managed by down regulating the moderate avidity T-Cells responsible for chronic graft rejection, employing the body's own regulatory strategies for regulating auto-immunity. The result is tolerance of the graft as if it were native tissue while preserving overall immune functionality.

Technology Benefits

Eliminates need for long term immunosuppressive therapy Preserves critical immune function, while maintaing graft tolerance Risk of thromboembolism, a common side effect of acute phase therapy is managed via in patient administration of the first phase and use of anti-coagulants Subsequent acute rejection periods are prevented due to deletion of high avidity response

Technology Application

Therapy to establish donor tissue tolerance in transplant recipients without use of long term immunosuppressives Therapy to treat CD8+ T-Cell mediated auto-immune conditions

Detailed Technology Description

The invention is a treatment protocol for inducing transplant tolerance without inhibiting global immune function. The treatment relies on insight into the stages of mounting immune response and the checks and balances the immune system employs to ma...

*Abstract

None

*Inquiry

Sara Gusik Columbia Technology Ventures Tel: (212) 854-8444 Email: TechTransfer@columbia.edu

*IR

2471

*Principal Investigator

*Publications

Jiang, H. and Chess, L. The Specific Regulation of Immune Responses by CD8+ T Cells Restricted by the MHC Class lb Molecule, Qa-1.Annual Review of Immunology 18:185-216 (2000)

Country/Region

USA