Researchers test new treatments for CMV after a kidney transplant
Current research at the University of Cambridge could help prevent complications for kidney transplant patients.
Around 60% of people in the UK carry a virus called CMV (cytomegalovirus). For most people, it causes no problems because their immune system keeps it under control. However, kidney transplant patients take medication that weakens their immune system to protect their new kidney. This means that CMV can cause serious illness and may increase the chance of their body rejecting the new kidney. Current treatments for CMV have harmful side effects and don't work when the virus is dormant.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have found two new compounds that can target CMV when it's both active and dormant. They are testing whether these compounds can stop CMV in donated kidneys before a transplant.
This research could help make donated kidneys safer and healthier by treating CMV before a transplant, reducing serious complications for transplant patients.