Early trial aims to free kidney patients from lifelong Anti-Rejection meds

This small, early-stage study tested whether a combination of donor cells and specific immunosuppressive drugs could allow kidney transplant recipients to slowly reduce and potentially stop all anti-rejection medications without rejecting their new kidney. The goal was to see if this approach was safe and could promote 'operational tolerance,' where the body accepts the transplant without needing lifelong drugs. Eight adult patients who received a kidney from a living donor participated in this multi-year study.