THE chances of a body rejecting a transplanted organ could be dramatically reduced, thanks to a new discovery by scientists in Australia about how the liver works.
When patients undergo organ transplants, they are given immunosuppressive medicines in an attempt to stop the donor organ being rejected by the recipient's body.
The drugs effectively shut down the body's immune system to stop it attacking the new organ but, as a result, patients are also prone to developing serious infections from relatively minor illnesses such as colds and flu.
The medications fight off the effects of the immune system's T-cells, which are white blood cells whose main role is to search out and destroy anything foreign such as a virus or donor organ. The body produces many different kinds of T-cells and not all of their roles are fully understood.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/scientists-uncover-livers-killer-role/story-e6frfku0-1226141427214#ixzz1YVVxRkDi
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