A brand new expertise has been developed to suppress immune rejection, the largest problem in organ transplantation, with out inflicting systemic unwanted effects. A analysis crew from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) and Ewha Womans University has developed the “Immune-Shield” expertise, which immediately sprays immunosuppressants onto the floor of organs utilizing mussel-derived adhesive protein.
These findings have been lately revealed within the Journal of Controlled Release, a world tutorial journal within the fields of pharmacology and drug supply.
Organ transplantation is the simplest remedy for restoring organs broken by accidents or illnesses. However, there’s a important international scarcity of transplantable organs. While xenotransplantation-the transplantation of animal organs into humans-has gained consideration in its place, immune rejection stays a serious problem, because the human immune system acknowledges transplanted organs as overseas invader.
To forestall this, sufferers should constantly take immunosuppressants. However, oral or injection-based administration distributes the medication all through the physique, which might result in severe unwanted effects similar to kidney toxicity and elevated danger of an infection. This paradoxical scenario repeats itself: medication meant to protect organs really weaken the affected person’s immune system.
The analysis crew, led by Professor Hyung Joon Cha (Department of Chemical Engineering and School of Convergence Science and Technology) at POSTECH, together with Ph.D. candidates Sangmin Lee and Hyun Tack Woo, Dr. Geunho Choi, and Professor Kye Il Joo of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Ewha Womans University, targeted on delivering medication on to transplanted organs somewhat than systemically all through entire physique.
The analysis crew developed a way that leverages the precept of mussels’ sturdy adhesiveness even underwater to immediately connect microscopic gel particles containing immunosuppressants to the floor of organs. This technique includes coating the floor of organic tissues utilizing adhesive microgels, which the crew named “Immune-Shield.”
The “Immune-Shield” is utilized through a twig technique. This system stably coats even moist organ surfaces, and the microgels stay on the floor to slowly launch the immunosuppressant. By forming an invisible protecting layer on the organ, the system ensures the drug is delivered particularly to the transplant web site as an alternative of spreading via the bloodstream to the remainder of the physique.
In xenotransplantation experiments, the appliance of the “Immune-Shield” considerably decreased immune cell infiltration and inflammatory responses, considerably extending the survival of transplanted tissues. This discovering is important in that it demonstrated that an immunosuppressive impact was greater than twofold greater than that of standard drug supply strategies.
We suggest a method to resolve the long-standing problem of immunosuppressants by utilizing mussel adhesive protein, an unique biomaterial developed in Korea. Since the spray technique permits for straightforward utility to complicated organ surfaces, it’s anticipated to function a key expertise to extend the success fee within the area of xenograft transplantation sooner or later.”
Hyung Joon Cha, Study Lead and Professor, Pohang University of Science & Technology
Source:
Journal reference:
Lee, S., et al. (2026). Sprayable proteinic adhesive microgel-based immunosuppressive therapeutic coating for efficient xenograft transplantation. Journal of Controlled Release. DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2025.114468. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016836592501082X.