ARCH
Research was an integral part of all aspects
of the institute’s programs in 2016. Members
of the Baylor Dallas transplant team used
their expertise to migrate science in the lab to
transformations in patient care for transplant
recipients, and a groundbreaking trial sprang
from collaboration with a Swedish surgical team,
resulting in five uterine transplants to a variety
of studies focused on renal issues, such as
function post-transplant.
Because data plays such a critical role in
documenting and interpreting research, the
Baylor Dallas transplant program continued
to build upon two unique resources in 2016.
The Transplant Biorepository is a bank of serum
and cells from previous liver transplant recipients
and donors that have been collected and stored
since the program’s inception in 1984. This is a
priceless resource that does not exist anywhere
else in the world. The biorepository is made up
of serum and cells throughout the patient’s life.
The first blood sample is drawn before transplant;
samples are collected on an annual basis thereafter.
Samples from more than 26,000 blood draws
are currently stored in the biorepository. Baylor
Scott & White researchers, along with leading
investigators throughout the United States, are
using advanced scientific technology to analyze
these materials to gain an increased understanding
of liver disease and transplantation. In addition,
the STARS database, formerly known as the Liver
Transplant Research Database System (LTRDS) —
which was established in 1985 and was the most
detailed and longest existing research database for
liver transplant worldwide — expanded beyond
the liver to include the heart/VAD, lung, kidney
and pancreas. STARS provides a central warehouse
for information on all transplant patients
evaluated and treated within the Baylor Dallas
and Baylor Scott & White – Fort Worth programs.
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