A 22-year-old woman from Shasta County is critically ill with diet-related cirrhosis due to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, highlighting the dangers of processed foods and the importance of dietary awareness, and is awaiting a liver transplant.
A biotech company, LyGenesis, has begun human trials for an experimental treatment that involves injecting a cocktail containing donated liver cells into patients with end-stage liver disease, aiming to transform a lymph node into a functional liver. If successful, this therapy could potentially allow one donated liver to treat many ESLD patients, addressing the current organ supply-demand imbalance. The treatment, which has shown promise in animal tests, could provide a lifeline for the thousands of people on the liver transplant waiting list by utilizing only a few cells from a liver to treat multiple patients.
Prof Sir Roy Calne, a pioneering British surgeon known for performing the UK's first successful liver transplant in 1968, has passed away at 93 due to heart failure. He was a key figure in the development of immunosuppressive drugs, such as Cyclosporine, which are crucial for preventing organ rejection. Sir Roy's illustrious career included starting a kidney transplant program, being elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society, and receiving a knighthood. He leaves behind a legacy of medical innovation and inspiration to many in the field.