An antidiabetic medicinal product under development could be used to stop graft rejection, thus replacing immunosuppressants which cause numerous side effects[1].
The discovery was made by scientists at Queen Mary University in London. They noted that an enzyme, whose activity is increased by this antidiabetic, triggers the movement of immune system sentinel cells in the organs. These cells prevent transplant rejection. The observations focused on mice and then on blood samples of individuals with a genetic mutation, making their version of the enzyme in question more active. The next step involves checking the hypothesis during a clinical trial.
[1] Increased risk of infections and cancers; the immunosuppressant treatments currently used are not targeted in the region of the immune system, which is responsible for organ rejection.
Medical press (21/11/2017)