Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: EatsRainbows on 13/11/2009 01:37:57

Title: Usefulness of organs for donation with genetic disease?
Post by: EatsRainbows on 13/11/2009 01:37:57

I registered to be an organ donor a few weeks ago. I have a genetic disease that effects nerve cell division and i was wondering,  just out of curiosity if this would have implications for the usefulness of my organs and/or tissue for anything other than medical research?

I have, for example a lesion that has developed on the outside of one of my lungs. I was trying to determine if a receiver of my organs would continue to experience extensive cell division within the organs or not or would all of the organs cells eventually be replaced within the body of the recipient??

Title: Usefulness of organs for donation with genetic disease?
Post by: RD on 13/11/2009 02:49:43

Quote

According to the UK Transplant website, you definitely can’t donate your organs if you have Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) or Human Immunosufficiciency Virus (HIV). But you may be able to donate if you have any other medical condition (including cancer), now or in the past. Doctors consider each case individually.

After someone dies, a health professional carefully considers the persons’ medical history. They then make a decision about whether or not some or all of the person’s organs or tissue are suitable for transplant. Unfortunately, this means that you won’t know beforehand if you can actually be a donor.

You can read more about this on the UK transplant website (http://www.uktransplant.org.uk/ukt/default.jsp).

http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/about-cancer/cancer-questions/can-i-be-an-organ-donor-if-i-have-had-cancer

Title: Usefulness of organs for donation with genetic disease?
Post by: EatsRainbows on 13/11/2009 03:41:56

Thanks RD. Did you say something about neurofibromatosis and the nerves still being genetically me and then remove it or am i hulluciinating? haha [???] Well if you did, yes its neurofibromatosis that i have   My minimal scientific knowledge renders me rather baffled at how people manage to narrow things down with such little info! hehe 

If the nerves within my donated organs would mean they are still genetically me forevermore then i suppose that would render them rather useless.

It makes sense yes, given the nature of virus' and prions that CJD and HIV cells would need to be kept far away from everyone! There was a big fuss a few years ago at my hospital as a man died from CJD, they only realised this after his death. He had been operated on a few months beforehand and it was unknown what had happened to the surgical equiptment that they used. Despite sterilization the temperatures they do this at is apparently not sufficient to kill it. Oops! 

Title: Usefulness of organs for donation with genetic disease?
Post by: RD on 13/11/2009 04:45:29

Quote from: sillymilly on 13/11/2009 03:41:56

Thanks RD. Did you say something about neurofibromatosis and the nerves still being genetically me and then remove it or am i hulluciinating? haha [???]

No you're not hallucinating. I deleted it because the quote I posted was from a cancer site and I did not want to give readers the idea that NF was usually cancerous.

Quote

Chemotherapy (anticancer drugs) may also be offered when the tumors associated with NF are malignant.
 This occurs in less than 10% of persons who have NF.

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/300/3/352

Title: Usefulness of organs for donation with genetic disease?
Post by: EatsRainbows on 13/11/2009 05:24:36

Oh good! glad im not hallucinating  [:D]

Im having trouble finding much info

Quote

People with NF1 can donate their blood and organs to other people who are in need of blood or an organ transplant. The person who receives their blood and/or organs will not develop NF1 as a result of the blood/organ donation

http://www.ctf.org/pdf/brochures/Living_with_NF1_A_Guide_for_Adults.pdf

Its NF2 that i have but i think that for this it wouldn't make much difference. Well of course the recipient would not "develop" the condition, as in through the whole body but within the organ itself and how much of a problem/likelihood is the risk (if there is one) is what i cannot find.

With regards to treatments, mine have never become malignant. There are currently no treatments (other than surgery) for the condition, however i inadvertently found this:

Quote

Researchers funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) have found that an organ transplant drug might one day be used to treat meningioma, a type of brain tumor.  The drug also could be used to treat neurofibromatosis type 2

......triggered by abnormal activity of a protein called mTOR, which promotes cell growth and is inhibited by rapamycin

.....they found that mTOR is abnormally active in NF2-deficient cells derived from patients with meningioma

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/news_and_events/news_articles/news_mTOR_role_in_meningioma.htm

Given that NF2 is a tumor suppressor issue. (fingers crossed my quoting worked.... [:P] )