Inactivating hepatitis C virus in donor lungs using light therapies during normothermic ex vivo lung perfusion.

Abstract

Availability of organs is a limiting factor for lung transplantation, leading to substantial mortality rates on the wait list. Use of organs from donors with transmissible viral infections, such as hepatitis C virus (HCV), would increase organ donation, but these organs are generally not offered for transplantation due to a high risk of transmission. Here, we develop a method for treatment of HCV-infected human donor lungs that prevents HCV transmission. Physical viral clearance in combination with germicidal light-based therapies during normothermic ex-vivo Lung Perfusion (EVLP), a method for assessment and treatment of injured donor lungs, inactivates HCV virus in a short period of time. Such treatment is shown to be safe using a large animal EVLP-to-lung transplantation model. This strategy of treating viral infection in a donor organ during preservation could significantly increase the availability of organs for transplantation and encourages further clinical development.

• Authors: Marcos Galasso, Jordan J Feld, Yui Watanabe, Mauricio Pipkin, Cara Summers, Aadil Ali, Robert Qaqish, Manyin Chen, Rafaela V P Ribeiro, Khaled Ramadan, Layla Pires, Vanderlei S Bagnato, Cristina Kurachi, Vera Cherepanov, Gray Moonen, Anajara Gazzalle, Thomas K Waddell, Mingyao Liu, Shaf Keshavjee, Brian C Wilson, Atul Humar, Marcelo Cypel
• Journal: Nature communications (Nat Commun) Vol. 10 Issue 1 Pg. 481 (01 29 2019) ISSN: 2041-1723 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 30696822 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Topics

• Acute Lung Injury (surgery)
• Animals
• Disease Models, Animal
• Hepacivirus (physiology, radiation effects)
• Hepatitis C (prevention & control, virology)
• Humans
• Lung (virology)
• Lung Transplantation
• Male
• Phototherapy
• Postoperative Complications (prevention & control, virology)
• Swine
• Tissue Donors
• Virus Inactivation (radiation effects)