Regulatory T cell treatment for the prevention of CAV in children receiving heart transplant

Heart transplants can offer a new life, but only if the body does not reject the new heart. Anti-rejection drugs are given to limit the damage caused by the immune system, which is the cause of rejection. Unfortunately, even if the heart is accepted in the short term the blood vessels can be damaged and narrowed.

Once the damage reaches a certain point, there is nothing doctors can do.

Professor Lombardi and others have found that the answer may lie in a type of cell that can limit the damage done by the immune system. These regulatory T cells, or Tregs, can also mean that a lower dose of the anti-rejection drugs can be given.

Evidence from animal studies is promising, and there is also evidence that it can work in humans, having been shown to be successful in patients receiving donated kidneys and livers.

In this project, Professor Lombardi and her team will take the next steps to test these Tregs in children receiving a heart transplant. Children have a source of Tregs that can be removed at the time of surgery and then grown in the lab.

The team will investigate the safety of the Treg therapy by testing three different amounts, each in three children undergoing heart transplants at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The project will give vital information about the best way to help children receiving the gift of a new heart to make the most of it for years to come.