The National Institute of Transplantation (NIT), a public non-profit corporation based in Los Angeles, was created in 1985 to advance the science and practice of organ transplant therapy. Since incorporation, NIT, formerly Los Angeles Transplant Institute, has been professionally affiliated with the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine and the Daughters of Charity Health System. However, NIT remains an independent organization, unrelated to or connected with any other private organization or government agency.
The Institute’s mission is to advance the science and practice of organ replacement therapy through research, basic research and educational programs that leverage the NIT's accumulated medical knowledge, experience, and active transplant programs.
To accomplish its mission, the NIT performs several functions:
- It conducts basic research in such critical areas as minimizing organ rejection.
- It engages in clinical research to develop new and innovative approaches to organ transplantation.
- It trains surgeons from around the world so that they may develop and enhance local transplant programs.
- It conducts community and patient education programs providing information about transplantation, donation, and prevention of end-stage renal disease, targeting underserved and at-risk populations.
BASIC RESEARCH
Basic research has been a priority at the NIT since it was founded. The Institute is constantly seeking new ways to cope with the human body's natural instinct to reject anything implanted in it. Specifically, research initiatives at NIT focus on analyzing and understanding what triggers a transplant recipient to develop specific infections or graft rejection. To do so, scientists analyze markers in both the transplanted organ and the transplant recipient that may predispose some recipients to reject a graft. Identifying these markers may further the collective understanding of immunosuppressive therapies to help limit disease and rejection.
Still in its early stages, another research project – conducted with researchers at USC -- aims to apply small interfering RNA (siRNA) technology to organ transplantation which essentially “silences” the genetic makeup of donor tissue, potentially allowing bone marrow or solid organ transplantation between a donor and recipient who may not otherwise match. This idea could revolutionize the way organs are allocated and could have a beneficial impact on patients, who could be relieved from a daunting immunosuppressive regimen.
Another area of focus is the pursuit of scientific breakthroughs on hepatitis and diabetes, the leading cause of kidney failure. The number of people on the national waiting list for an organ will continue to dramatically grow with the current epidemics of Diabetes and Hepatitis C Virus, unless medical breakthroughs are made.
CLINICAL RESEARCH
In the field of clinical research, the NIT holds the distinction of being one of the largest transplantation clinical trials sites in the US. NIT Clinical Research partners with large multi national pharmaceutical companies to explore novel approaches and medicines to improve the lives of transplanted patients. NIT being regularly invited to test new drugs for approval by the Food and Drug Administration has resulted in the gradual improvement of immunosuppressive medication and in the markedly improved rate of graft survival among transplant patients in recent years.
Additional clinical research studies at NIT aim to study an individual’s genetic makeup to formulate predictions about how a transplant patient will respond to a new organ and how well he or she will tolerate specific immunosuppressive drug regimens.
Due the continuous increase of people needing an organ transplant and lack of available organs, the Institute continues to be interested in revitalizing and successfully using organs that once would have been considered unusable for transplantation.
TECHNOLOGY
NIT Data Services has developed and maintains a unique and comprehensive transplant patient tracking service (TranTrak™) to allow for the day-to-day capture and analysis of massive amounts of patient data for on-going medical evaluation, pre and post transplant research, and other patient-centered purposes.
When a patient is accepted onto the national waiting list for an organ transplant, he or she must submit to regular blood tests at their transplant center. These routine tests continue after transplant to help physicians and transplant coordinators monitor drug values in a patient’s blood and make necessary adjustments to a person’s anti-rejection medications.
Created and developed over a decade ago, TranTrak™ works in conjunction with transplant centers to collect and analyze clinical data and provide immediate and long-term support to transplant centers. Most importantly, Trantrak™ takes the clinical data collection a step further by allowing blood test results to be analyzed on a daily basis and unusual results are reported immediately to the transplant center. This process helps the physician and coordinator respond immediately to prevent recurrent illnesses and reduce rejection episodes of the transplanted organ.
TranTrak™ monitors thousands of patients from the time they are referred for transplant and for their lifetime. With this massive amount of data, TranTrak™ analyzes factors that led to successful graft survival as well as conditions that led to poor outcomes. This collection of data allows physicians and surgeons the ability to make predictions regarding clinical factors that lead to successful outcomes and drug regimens to extend the life of recipients.
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
Transplantation continues to remain a highly specialized which requires extensive training. NIT partnered with USC, maintains a fellowship program in renal transplantation for surgeons from across the U.S. and around the world. Participants in the program have come from Armenia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Italy, Mexico, Spain and Turkey. Visiting fellows work with local transplant surgeons to gain information and learn techniques on the latest advances in transplantation procedures and therapies. This program allows young surgeons to enhance or develop transplant programs worldwide.
Additionally, NIT has published over 200 scientific papers, sharing the latest advances at national and international transplant meetings.
LABORATORY SERVICES
The NIT Immunogenetics Laboratory tests donor/recipient pairs for HLA genetic compatibility. Matching of the donor antigens in the recipient improves chances for long-term graft survival, lower rejection rates, and lower infection. This laboratory is involved in the assessment of immunosuppressiveness of the transplant recipient by looking at HLA antibody profiles. This provides valuable information for clinicians to treat patients. Also, this lab is working on projects to genetically modulate HLA expression.
The NIT Serology and Molecular (Clinical) Laboratory provides services 24-hours/365 days a year primarily for transplant patients and/or potential donors (living and cadaveric). Testing is preformed in specialty areas including chemistry, hematology, serology, and molecular (nucleic acid testing) and is one of the only laboratories in the US to provide this type testing with results within 6-8 hours. The commitment by NIT to provide testing results 2-3 times faster than other labs greatly increases overall organ transplant outcome.
PATIENT EDUCATION / COMMUNITY OUTREACH
The NIT is committed to providing community outreach and patient education programs for those at-risk of or facing end-stage renal disease. These programs focus on the needs of the population of Southern California targeting underserved and at-risk populations.
These programs have several objectives:
- To reduce the incidence of end-stage renal disease by identifying populations at risk for for kidney failure and educating them about prevention.
- To increase awareness of and access to organ transplantation as a treatment option that can lead to improved quality of life.
- To encourage patients to maintain their health while waiting for an organ and become more proactive in their healthcare.
- To make residents aware of the importance of donating organs so that others may live.
- To improve the survival rate of transplanted organs by making recipients well informed about the commitment they must make in caring for the new organ.
The NIT's scope of operations is both broad and deep; but its reach has never exceeded its grasp. The Institute remains committed to its mission and has dedicated itself to broaden its scope both geographically and technologically.
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