Challenges in education; Tissue typing for organ transplants

A lot of work goes on behind the scenes for an organ transplant. It's absolutely impossible to exchange solid functional organs such as kidneys between individuals unless they're genetically related identical twins. This is because every individual is an Daoud with certain characteristics that are hereditary. These things are called antigen. And just like the body tends to reject foreign bacteria. It recognizes these antigens as being foreign and tends to reject them. Now the rejection can be controlled if you match the antigens of the donor and the recipient. In a moment we'll learn more about tissue typing for organ transplants. Challenges in education presented by Duke University. Here with today's feature is Charles Bronson.

Recently we talked with Dr. Chester Yumi ASCII associate professor of immunology at Duke about matching donors and recipients for organ transplants. We asked about the matching process and the way we match the method similar to the ones that are used in matching blood for a blood transfusion. If you get the wrong type of blood. Then you have a terrible reaction. And the types that are involved in blood are found on the red cell. Groups that we're dealing with in tissue transplant patients are found on the white. So we have certain serum from particular people who have produced so-called antibodies that are directed against these antigens. And by using the sear we can determine what particular antigens a certain individual may have. And once we've done asked him we can

go down the line and match up the donor and recipient. Is tissue typing a complex problem. Again Dr.. Weil the methods of typing are not really very complex as far serologic methods go. The biggest problem. Is that the reagents we're using. Rather crude at the moment because this is a relatively new field. We still haven't had time to develop excellent reagents such as those that are used for AB O or R each grouping of red cells. Furthermore the cells we're working with. Are very difficult cells to work with. There nucleated cells that are alive. They're capable of reproduction. They're short lived. And they have many physical properties which cause them. To be extremely difficult to deal with.

Several techniques are employed in typing tissues and at the moment all of them are used because some reagents work better in one technique than in another tissue typing can take up to three days. If tests are repeated the length of time that it takes to do it depends an awful lot on the technique that's being you used. But. Most of them require at least two and a half to three hours. Doctors Yumi FC believes that tissue typing is extremely important. I certainly think that there is no question that if organ transplantation is to succeed. On a large scale tissue typing methods must be you. We find that the good matches do much better. Than the poor man. And we haven't had any. Disappointments with any of our good matches whereas we have had several problems associated with those people who are not well matched. Tissue typing for transplants. This is Charles Brazill.

What challenges an education from Duke University. This program was distributed by the national educational radio network.