A team of doctors and scientists at Northwestern University has created a wireless device to monitor transplanted organs for early signs of rejection.
The small implant senses warning signs up to three weeks earlier than traditional methods, according to research published in the journal, Science.
“I hear my patients when they talk to me, so they tell me about their anxiety about the risk for rejection,” said Dr. Lorenzo Gallon, one of the study authors and a professor of nephrology, hypertension and organ transplantation at Northwestern University.
Dr. Gallon teamed up with John Rogers, a professor of material science and engineering, biomedical engineering and neurological surgery, to test out a theory.
“The idea is when the kidney gets inflamed, you know, the temperature on the surface goes up. This was our hypothesis,” Dr. Gallon said.
They created a small implant that monitors the organ’s temperature. In clinical trials in animals, it was attached to a transplanted kidney during surgery.
In a study involving rodents, they found the device could detect a spike in temperature, a key indicator of rejection, up to three weeks earlier than blood work or biopsies.
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“These will be a fascinating way to use it as an early detector,” said Dr. Joaquin Brieva.
Dr. Brieva is a dermatologist at Northwestern Medicine, but is not affiliated with the study in any way.
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He is, however, a kidney recipient, receiving the organ from a living donor in September 2022.
“I'm doing great. My donor is doing great,” Brieva said.
We shared Dr. Brieva’s story, a dermatologist searching for a kidney donor, in December 2021.
His holiday wish came true months later. While he’s feeling great, the fear of organ rejection is constant.
“It is always something you have to monitor and they do keep a close eye. You do blood tests three times a week, which is not fun,” Brieva said.
The implant could bring peace of mind for recipients, like Brieva, who fear rejection that can happen at any time, even decades after surgery.
“So this will be a very interesting way to feel reassured, if you have a sensor,” Brieva said.
“If this device is monitored continuously, and the temperature is normal throughout, it can actually take away the anxiety,” Gallon said.
Further animal testing is needed before human clinical trials can begin, but Dr. Gallon is hopeful.
“It's something that can be used to save people’s, you know, kidney functions and eventually save people's life,” Gallon said.
