Innovation Anthology #134: Director, Climate Research Lab and Assistant Professor, School of Business

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When organs fail, the hope for a transplant depends on finding a matching donor to prevent rejection.

But it’s a different story for infants.

It’s been known for many years that the immature immune system of infants can be altered. The injection of cells from the eventual donor helps build the infant’s tolerance to a foreign organ.

However, newborns in need of a new heart often don’t live long enough to go through this process.

That situation has changed thanks to the discovery of Dr. Lori West, a pediatric cardiologist at the University of Alberta and a senior scholar with the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research.

She’s discovered its possible to transplant infant hearts even when their blood types do not match.

DR. LORI WEST: We became convinced that the infants immune system was sufficiently immature that it would not mount the very, very aggressive rejection called hyper acute rejection that one would normally find in older individuals if you transplanted an organ between a donor and recipient of mismatched blood types.

Dr. West says about a hundred children around the world have received blood group mismatched heart transplants.

Thanks today to the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research.

FOR INNOVATION ANTHOLOGY, I’M CHERYL CROUCHER

Note:  AHFMR is now called Alberta Innovates Health Solutions

Guest

Adam Fenech, PhD,

University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada,

Sponsor

Alberta Innovates Health Solutions

Alberta Innovates (formerly Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions)

As the newly formed Alberta Innovates corporation, we still fund top quality, internationally competitive health research and innovation activities to improve the health and wellbeing of Albertans. We provide leadership for Alberta’s health research and innovation enterprise by directing, coordinating, reviewing, funding and supporting research and innovation.

Working with our many partners  in the health system, we ensure that research achieves innovation in care, policy and practice, and that the needs of patients and clinicians influence research.

Our background

Alberta Innovates consolidation was launched November 1, 2016.

Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions

Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions was established as part of the Alberta Innovates system by an Act of Legislation of the Government of Alberta. It is a agency  of the Government of Alberta. We receive a yearly allocation from the Ministry of Health and report through the ministry to the people of Alberta.

Our Mandate and Roles document reflects our role and responsibilities and outlines the government statues and regulations with which we comply.

Alberta’s Health Research and Innovation Strategy (AHRIS) sets out Alberta’s health research agenda for the coming decade to ensure our considerable investments in research align with our priority—to improve the health of Albertans.

Program Date: 2008-05-15