PERFUSE-UK
Expanding access to transplants
Dr Emily Thompson, Honorary Consultant Transplant Surgeon and Senior Clinical Lecturer at Newcastle University said: “We urgently need innovation in kidney transplantation to enable more people to receive the precious gift of a new kidney.
“The new PERFUSE-UK programme offers just that by supporting the development and implementation of normothermic machine perfusion - a technology which will enable surgeons to make the best decisions for their patients and may in future lead to new ways to help donated kidneys function well for longer.
“This initiative would not have been possible without the support of the partnership between the Stoneygate Trust and Kidney Research UK and we are delighted to be part of this programme.”
Every week, six people in the UK die while waiting for a kidney transplant and in August the latest annual NHS figures revealed the waiting list is continuing to climb – with more than 7,200 people now waiting for a kidney transplant whilst the number of transplant surgeries fell year on year.
Currently, the majority of kidneys from deceased donors are stored and transported via cold storage before being transplanted into recipients. This keeps the kidney alive but once cut off from blood circulation it can quickly become damaged.
NMP enables surgical teams to circulate warmed oxygenated fluid into a donated kidney using a machine pump, preserving it better and giving clinicians more time to assess its suitability for transplant.
Every year, more than 300 kidneys from deceased donors are found to be unsuitable for transplant across the UK, but around 80% of these could be healthy enough for perfusion treatment, which could lead to them becoming approved for transplant.
The funding for PERFUSE-UK will enable medical teams in the five centres to use and develop NMP for five years, but it is hoped that once rolled out across the NHS in the future, the technique could see up to 70% of perfused kidneys go on to be transplanted.
The long-term aim of PERFUSE-UK is to define new national standards to roll out and embed NMP into clinical settings across the NHS, ensuring more patients can benefit from life-changing transplants.
PERFUSE-UK sites will also use NMP for clinical research, enabling scientists to test new drugs and therapeutic techniques that could lead to the optimisation and repair of donated kidneys, to prevent post-transplant organ rejection and help donated organs last longer.
Earlier this year, NHS Blood and Transplant launched a pilot programme of Assessment and Recovery Centres (ARCs), which uses NMP for donated livers, lungs and kidneys, using a centralised model for the distribution of organs.
The PERFUSE-UK network complements that pioneering scheme, using the same technology and principles, but the NMP technique will be used “in-house” on kidneys donated and transplanted at the same hospital site.
David Crosby, chief research officer at Kidney Research UK said: “Every day 24 people start treatment for kidney failure and six people die every week while waiting for a transplant.
“A transplant isn’t a cure, but we consistently hear from kidney patients how desperate everyone on that waiting list is to receive the call that could change their life.
“A transplant is also more cost effective than dialysis treatment and while patients will always be at the heart of everything we do, we cannot ignore the potential cost saving to our already overstretched NHS.
“Through PERFUSE-UK we will stand by the side of kidney patients across the UK, driving real clinical action, making more kidneys available for transplant, and researching techniques that can make them last for longer.”
New hope for patients
Ellyn Laws knows all too well the pain and heartbreak of kidney failure, as she finds herself back on dialysis, waiting her fifth kidney transplant.
The 30-year-old, from Newcastle, has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder due to the impact of her kidney disease.
She said: “Having kidney disease is all I’ve ever known. My kidneys failed aged two and I had my first transplant age four, all these years later, I still don’t feel like I’ve had the chance to fully start my life.
“After experiencing rejection post-transplant and knowing what it’s like waiting for the call for my next chance of life away from the dialysis machine, reading about this investment gives me hope for a future where transplants are more readily available and can provide myself and other patients with a better quality of life for longer.
“I just want the opportunity to live my life like my friends, who are excelling in their careers, getting married and starting families, all while I’m on dialysis.”
Sir Will Adderley, founder of the Stoneygate Trust said: “Funding medical research is about believing in the future and the potential it holds. Stoneygate Trust are excited to support the creation of PERFUSE-UK. This builds on years of groundbreaking research focussed on the development of transplant techniques funded by the trust.
“I’m confident this latest phase will help deliver real change for the patients who need it most.”
