New Treatment Helped Highly Sensitised Patient Receive Kidney Transplant, Study Shows

The patient had what doctors call high-level HLA sensitisation — meaning their immune system had built up a large number of antibodies (proteins that attack foreign tissue) against human leucocyte antigens, the markers found on donor organs. For many people in this situation, finding a compatible kidney is extremely difficult, and some wait years on the transplant list without a suitable match ever appearing.

The treatment used was teclistamab, a bispecific antibody drug that works by directing the body’s own T-cells (a type of immune cell) to destroy B-cells (the cells that produce antibodies). The drug is normally used in blood cancer care. In this case, according to the journal report, it was applied to deplete the HLA antibodies that were making transplantation impossible.

It worked. Once the antibody levels fell sufficiently, the transplant went ahead.

The New England Journal of Medicine, which published the case report, is one of the world’s most established peer-reviewed medical journals. But a single case report does not establish a treatment as standard practice — it documents what happened in one patient and opens the door to further research. Whether this approach could be applied more broadly to sensitised patients on transplant waiting lists would require larger studies to determine.

Kidney Disease UK estimates there are around 5,000 people waiting for a kidney transplant in the UK at any given time. Sensitised patients — those whose immune systems are primed to reject most available donors — make up a significant portion of the longest-waiting cases.

Anyone with questions about kidney transplant eligibility or waiting list status should speak to their transplant team or GP in the first instance. General health queries can be directed to NHS 111.