Create a brighter future for kidney patients

Aim

Help us to fund vital multi-centre research to reduce rejection rates for kidney transplants

The aim of this important research is to reduce the threat of a kidney being rejected by the recipient's immune system and extend current  kidney transplant lifespans. You and your networks can make the difference needed. Please help by donating and sharing our project via Email, Facebook and Twitter with your networks.

In March this year I donated my kidney in a national kidney pooling/sharing scheme to a person unknown to me.  My motivation was my 25 year old niece,  Shakti - who needed a kidney transplant urgently.  Although I was a poor match for Shakti, through this national scheme - lucky for us, a  match was found and we had our operations on the same day, just metres  away, in theatres at the Royal Free Hospital.   My surgery and our story have been covered by BBC News (video uploaded).

During our  visits to Royal Free Hospital, we met many kidney patients who have waited anything up to five years for a kidney and those who have had transplants but suffered rejections later.  This led Shakti and I to find out more about kidney rejections and whether it can be  prevented or reduced. We spoke to the expert renal medical team at Royal Free Hospital to find out more and are raising funds for this research  to help people like Shakti achieve an improved life span from their kidney transplant.   Our fundraising efforts are supported by the Royal Free Charity and we are very grateful for their help and support. 

More about the research.   A  multi-centre study involving three major renal transplant centres for  adult and paediatric patients in London has been set up to undertake  the ground-breaking study, which will be led by Mr Reza Motallebzadeh, PhD FRCS, Consultant Renal Transplant Surgeon, Royal Free Hospital.  From September 2018 teams from Royal Free Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital and Guy’s Hospital will be working with The UCL (University College London) Institute of Immunity and Transplantation.   This research will  look at the microbiota in kidney transplant rejection to find ways to reduce the threat of a kidney being rejected by the recipient's immune system.

Why is this important?  Kidney transplants enhance the quality of life and survival in people with end-stage renal disease.  Despite the dramatic advances of  techniques to reduce short-term transplant loss, complications do arise and these include acute rejection, which occurs in  about 30% of recipients within the first year. This remains the major obstacle to long-term survival of transplanted organs and is a significant challenge for the NHS  teams that work tirelessly to perform transplants  And, for donors and recipients this is heartbreaking.   Therefore, this research has become an urgent priority.

Your donations will get this important project underway and find answers that will lead to better treatments and improved outcomes for all  concerned.

Q. Can I make my pledge anonymous?

A. Yes, you can  opt to hide your name from other supporters list by ticking the relevant  box when you make your pledge. 

Q. Can I pledge on more than one reward?

A.  Yes, you can choose as many rewards as you like. You will need to make a  new separate pledge for each reward. If you get stuck, you can message [email protected] for help. 

This project successfully funded on 10th July 2018