New Discovery May End Transplant Rejection

mmmscience writes with this excerpt from the Examiner: "Big news in the medical world: scientists in Australia have found a way to stop the body from attacking organ transplants, greatly decreasing the possibility of organ rejection. ... When a new tissue is introduced, one's immune system kicks into overdrive, sending out cells known as killer T cells to attack and destroy the unknown tissue. ... Professor Jonathan Sprent and Dr. Kylie Webster from Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research focused on a different type of T cells — known as regulatory T cells (Treg) — in this study. Tregs are capable of quieting the immune system, stopping the killer T cells from seeking out and attacking foreign objects."

w00t!!

[Anonymous Coward]

So now I can upgrade my genitalia safely??

Re:Organlegging

[Idiomatick]

People selling organs could already do that. It just makes the storage space needed smaller.

Re:has its drawbacks?

[SimonGhent]

I'll admit that not having a liver is a more immediate problem than not having an immune system, but both should be terminal conditions shouldn't they?

In the end, yes.

Great News!

[cybrthng]

Now i can just keep smoking knowing my new lungs will fit in no problem! /s

Re:w00t!!

[SimonGhent]

Well, you can, but that would be like having a Core2Duo for just reading emails...

Re:So they're doing another type of immunosupressi

[blueg3]

If only there was a linked article that addressed these questions!

Re:Great News!

[immakiku]

Bad news: your would-be donor started chain smoking, thinking he'd easily get a lung replacement, and developed cancer even faster than you did.

Re:w00t!!

[MadKeithV]

I'm glad that joke didn't swing the other way.

Good news for my work

[moteyalpha]

I have been having problems with my hyperalloy combat chassis rejecting the external skin tissue overlays. I am making kill^H^H^H^H pet robots and this is just the trick I needed,

Re:w00t!!

[alx5000]

Yeah... or buying a SUV to get your groceries. Oh, wait...

Re:Organlegging

[clam666]

The only reason that doesn't happen so much now (except potentially in China, to an extent) is due to the whole organ rejection thing. No good putting 'Type X' kidneys on the market if all your prospective clients within a reasonable distance need 'Type Y'.. and short of getting medical records on everybody, you can't see on the outside what type organ the person has.

Shows how much you know. Just like with any other product, you need to create demand. For example, show how your "Type X" kidney is better compared to the inferior "Type Y" kidney in a consumer taste test. Focus on viral marketing and product placement in movies. Leak that Tupac used "Type X" kidneys because he was from the street and keepin' it real. Have a cross marketing campaign with Nike for some "TypeX-treme" shoes at $250 a pair. Have Disney create a new loveable kidney based character in their new movies. Link "Type Y" kidneys to George Bush.

If all else fails, try to get a piece of the latest economic meltdown. Bundle any excess inventory into "Type X Kidney Security Derivatives" and apply for TARP funds. Get some lobbyists.

If they don't give you any money, corner the market by making them a loss-leader. Pick up the delta by bumping the price on the anti-rejection drugs.

It's time to think outside the box people.

Finally...

[smooth wombat]

we can stop having unkempt slobs in dark alleys offering us x-ray eyes when in reality they are the two better z-ray eyes. No more will we be be indecisive about replacing our lungs with gills so we can more easily breathe underwater.

All we need do is lie on the table and let the nice nurse with big hands hold us down while we feel a small pain.

Re:w00t!!

[Arterion]

No. Your genitalia will still be rejected.