Demonstrating the applicability of novel indices of immunological tolerance to clinical practice using immunosuppression-free transplant recipients.

The Indices of Tolerance project, which centred on kidney transplantation, began in mid-2003 and ran for more than three years, finishing in 2007.  The work took place in various clinical centres throughout Europe and was coordinated by King's College London.

The work of the project was to try to identify renal transplant patients who had stopped their immunosuppressive regimens, without then going on to reject their kidneys. Once those patients had been identified the next step was to try to identify those biological factors that led to transplant tolerance and apply this knowledge to future renal recipients, in the hope that it would enable patients to reduce or even stop completely the long-term medication they have to take.

This study was funded by the European Commission.

For more information go to the Indices of Tolerance website at:

www.transplant-tolerance.org.uk

For information on the aims and objectives of the project please download the attached document.

This project brought together contributors from five academic and clinical centres with a commercial organization, constructing what was. we believe , an unrivalled consortium with respect to scientific innovation and clinical experience. The participants represent the principal European groups active in the field of immunological monitoring, following transplantation and have all transferred their basic and pre-clinical models to a degree of clinical application.

The coordinating centre was Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine in which two of the principal investigators are still based, Professor R. Lechler and Dr. A Warrens. The five other academic and clinical centres are:

1. University of Oxford  (Professor Kathryn Wood)
2. University of Nantes (Professor Jean-Paul Soulillou)
3. Free University of Brussels (Professor Michel Goldman)
4. Humboldt University of Berlin (Professor Hans-Dieter Volk)
5. Memorec Biotech (Dr Uwe janssen)

For more detailed information on the work undertaken by the researchers including recruitment, assays and preliminary findings please see the powerpoint presentation using the link below.

The IOT study was a collaborative effort, drawing on the scientific expertise of a number of research teams across Europe. This multi-centre approach involved some 9 centres in the UK, Belgium, Canada, France and Germany who all made significant contributions to the work of the project, which we wish to acknowledge. In the course of this study we have developed strong links with the Immune Tolerance Network in the USA.

Please follow the link for a map of the participating centres.

Physicians in clinics in 9 European countries participated in the study by recruiting patients who were suitable for the study and, with the patients consent, providing information about them.  Without these participating physicians the project would not have gone ahead and we wish to thank them for their efforts.

Please follow the link for a map of participating physicians.