The French transplant research suffers from structural problems

France holds its place in research in transplantation, but it faces many structural problems that hinder innovation, said Dr. Jean-Paul Soulillou (CHU Nantes) by closing a symposium on research in transplantation in Paris.
Organized by the Academy of Sciences with the support of the Biomedicine Agency, in collaboration with the Registry of Life Foundation, this conference brought together leading experts in transplantation and allowed researchers to take stock of their hopes, projects and needs.

Different teams presented their work on molecular signature of operational tolerance, tolerance induction or pharmacogenetics / pharmacogenomics.

"The diversity of research and the preliminary results are reassuring. France, which occupies an important place in the history of transplantation, holds his rank but many structural problems hindering research in transplantation in the hexagon," said the Professor Jean-Paul Soulillou, who heads the new foundation for scientific cooperation Centauri.

There are composite tissue grafts, which are a real French creation, but France does not demerit either in quantitative terms (the first European team is French, the first two teams pancreas transplant are French ...) he noted.

However, the number of living donor transplants did not take off (9% of grafts against 50-60% elsewhere), probably for cultural reasons but also because there is no real reflection and acceptance of the problem , said the specialist, who "should be a real dialogue on this issue."

Same for ABO-incompatible transplants that are readily available elsewhere. For the heart stopped, "we have started only when the system was fully validated by the other European teams. Situation is almost humiliating. Can not innovate enough," he lamented.

In addition, "there is a lack of recognition of the science of transplantation in France. Abroad, researchers transplantation are recognized as scientists," he added.

The expert also noted that the transplant would need to "free money at the service of ideas" to go to the induction or recognition of the tolerance of the organ by the recipient host, because this track is going to reduction in immunosuppressive therapy, which is not to the liking of laboratories that market.

The problems relating to the grafter toxicity of immunosuppressive drugs that attack transplanted organs and therefore their long-term survival. However, there is a tolerance of organs in some patients (at least 25% of patients on the liver, the figure is not known for the kidney) and profile a new science, that of minimization, he said.

Using molecular tools, biomarkers, it will become possible to identify patients with a kidney operational tolerance, determine the frequency and offer relief to these patients treatment protocol.

Professor Jean-François Bach who organized the conference supported the idea of a stronger power to stimulate charitable communication to assist the Agency in biomedicine and research. "The Registry foundation of life can play this role if it does so with the support of the entire transplant community," he said.

Young Foundation registered charity since November 2005, aims to play this role. In terms of communication, it has already shown with his first inventive and impactful campaigns. It now rely on the conclusions of this conference to develop its strategy to support research and develop medical and scientific committee.