3/12/09 Glad to hear that you are doing great after your transplant. Thanks for offering support for others.
Just for your information, here at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Marshall Hertz and others are conducting research on patients post-transplant to see if we specific biomarkers (e.g. genes and/or changes in protein levels found in collected specimens such as blood or urine) can be identified that can help to predict or determine acute/chronic lung rejection (i.e. earlier and by less invasive means).
This may lead to earlier identification and treatment options for individual patients as well as a greater understanding of the biology of lung transplant rejection. The more that we can understand about why, what, when and how rejections may occur, the easier it will be to develop better interventions and treatments for those who do or are likely to experience organ rejection.
In the last two decades, so much progress has been made in the area of lung transplantation. It's so great to encounter those who are doing so well because of it. But, there is still so much to do and learn! Did you know that the laboratory of Dr. Doris Taylor here at the U of MN recently produced an actual beating heart from stem cells! It made international news. Obviously, translating this to actual clinical use for transplantation isn't going to happen over night. But, it's truly amazing that it is even feasible!
I had a double lung transplant on 9/20/2008 and I am doing great if anyone has questions about lung transplants I would be more than happy to answer John