More than 30,000 Americans undergo an organ transplant each year and are placed on very powerful but toxic immunosuppressive drugs for the rest of their lives. Despite the short-term efficacy of these drugs, their prolonged use can cause life-threatening conditions. Unfortunately, up to 50% of all organ recipients will eventually reject their organ and require a second transplant.
TRACT Therapeutics, Inc. has developed a revolutionary therapy that utilizes a patient’s own T regulatory cells to better control their immune system after an organ transplant. This breakthrough therapy has the potential to replace expensive and toxic anti-rejection drugs, eliminating numerous harmful side effects while significantly decreasing the chance of rejection of the donated organ.
The technology is based on a platform which can be utilized to treat solid organ transplant patients as well as a number of autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease. For organ transplant, it shows great promise in preventing rejection of a donated organ thereby, reducing the need for a second transplant. Over the next few years, TRACT’s T regulatory cell therapy could transform the medical approach in transplant medicine by dramatically reducing or eliminating the lifelong use of toxic anti-rejection drugs. In addition to solid organ transplantation, the Company’s proprietary technology has potential for the treatment of several autoimmune disorders.
“As an organ recipient four years ago, I am grateful that I am a survivor and lead a completely normal life. All transplant recipients must take a lifetime of very powerful medications to prevent rejection. Today, transplant surgery is so successful that recipients can live a normal life span. But because of the toxicity of the drugs, many transplanted organs fail and becomes the limiting factor in the recipient’s life. If the TRACT therapy proves successful in maintaining an organ without the use of these drugs, it is a game-changer in transplant medicine. Recipients will live longer, not require a second transplant, and more organs will be available for the 123,000 people currently on the waiting list.”
Dan Dickinson, Chairman of the Northwestern Medicine Transplant Advisory Council