MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
April 25, 2012
London Leads the Nation in Transplantation Excellence
Canadian Conference Recognizes Top Research from Lawson and LHSC
LONDON, Ontario – Lawson Health Research Institute (Lawson) and London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) have received outstanding recognition for transplantation research and care. At the recent meeting of the Canadian Society of Transplantation (CST), researchers and clinicians presented advances that may significantly decrease the likelihood of transplant rejection and improve patients’ quality of life after transplantation.
Scientists Ye Su, Kim Chi Tran, Arthur Lau, and Xusheng Zhang from the Matthew Mailing Centre for Translational Transplant Studies swept all four awards for the top-rated basic research abstracts. Much of their work is focused on improving the success of transplantation by manipulating the immune system so that it more readily accepts the organ. Other research focused on reducing organ injury during the retrieval and transplant procedure so that organs perform better after transplant with less likelihood of rejection.
Clinicians from LHSC’s Multi-Organ Transplant Program also excelled in clinical abstract awards. Dr. Roberto Hernandez, liver transplant surgeon, received the 2012 Clinical Abstract Award from among more than 70 submitted abstracts. Under the supervision of Dr. Hernandez, Dr. Kris Croome, transplant fellow, received the 2012 Trainee Clinical Abstract Award.
These clinical studies are important in helping us determine how best to use the limited organs that are available for transplant. The clinician-researchers developed a scoring system, based on patient characteristics, to accurately predict survival following a second liver transplant. This score will be valuable in making clinical decisions as to which patients will do well following re-transplantation.
“Our scientists and clinician-scientists will discover new treatments, including novel immune therapies, molecular ‘fingerprinting’ to identify how well patients respond to anti-rejection drugs and the ability to accept their new organs, possibly without long-term drugs,” says Dr. Anthony Jevnikar, Director of Transplantation Nephrology at LHSC and Scientist at Lawson. “Nanotechnology approaches will improve organ preservation, and stem cells will be used to ‘repair’ organs.”
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Lawson Health Research Institute
As the research institute of London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph's Health Care, London, and working in partnership with The University of Western Ontario, Lawson Health Research Institute is committed to furthering scientific knowledge to advance health care around the world. www.lawsonresearch.com
London Health Sciences Centre
London Health Sciences Centre has been in the forefront of medicine in Canada for 137 years and offers the broadest range of specialized clinical services in Ontario. Building on the traditions of its founding hospitals to provide compassionate care in an academic teaching setting, London Health Sciences Centre is home to Children’s Hospital, South Street Hospital, University Hospital, Victoria Hospital, two family medical centres, and two research institutes – Children’s Health Research Institute and Lawson Health Research Institute, a joint research initiative with St. Joseph’s Health Care London. As a leader in medical discovery and health research, London Health Sciences Centre has a history of over 50 international and national firsts and attracts top clinicians and researchers from around the world. As a regional referral centre, London Health Sciences Centre cares for the most medically complex patients including critically injured adults and children in southwestern Ontario and beyond. The hospital’s nearly 15,000 staff, physicians, students and volunteers provide care for more than one million patient visits a year. For more information visit www.lhsc.on.ca
For more information, please contact:
Susan Mutterback
Communications & Public Relations
Lawson Health Research Institute
519-685-8500 ext. 75664
susan.mutterback@lhsc.on.ca
www.lawsonresearch.com
Rachelle Wood
Corporate Communications and Public Relations
London Health Sciences Centre
(519) 685-8500 ext. 77642
rachelle.wood@lhsc.on.ca
www.lhsc.on.ca
