Aug 26, 2020
Clinical Professor of Surgery and Director of the UCSF
Immunogenetics and Transplantation Laboratory, Dr. Rajalingam
Raja, joins the show to discuss his work.
Tune in to discover:
Dr. Raja’s job is to select and match the very best organ donor with the very best recipient in order to minimize the possibility of organ rejection and limit the amount of immunosuppressant drugs necessary after transplantation. Maintaining the balance between immunosuppression that allows the patient to keep the organ, and a strong immune system that allows the patient to fight against invading pathogens is a difficult and tricky task.
Genetic and serological testing to match HLA molecules, which
play an important role in defending against foreign invaders in the
body, is critical in the process of determining which organ matches
provide the highest likelihood of a successful transplantation for
the maximum possible number of years. This is an area of ongoing
research, as is the relationship between the microbiome and the
immune response during transplantation.
Dr. Raja discusses these topics and others, including general
information about
human immunology and transplant immunology, what types of
rejection can occur (and when or under what circumstances they can
occur),
immunogenetics and histocompatibility, special considerations
that must be made for pediatric transplants, and more.
Learn more at https://transplantsurgery.ucsf.edu/.
Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK