Ten patients at Penn Medicine have been cured of the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) following lifesaving kidney transplants from deceased donors who were infected with the disease. The findings point to new strategies for increasing the supply of organs for patients who are awaiting kidney transplants. The results of the THINKER (Transplanting Hepatitis C Kidneys Into Negative Kidney Recipients) study determining the safety and efficacy of transplanting kidneys from Hepatitis C-positive donors into Hepatitis C-negative patients on the kidney transplant waitlist were presented at the 2017 American Transplant Congress in Chicago and in a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Molecular Pathology Laboratory is instrumental in developing and validating the HCV genotyping test, as well as helping to coordinate the laboratory aspects of the THINKER clinical trial. Since genotype results need to be available within several hours, the trial requires molecular pathology technologists to be on-call virtually around the clock. Departmental support for the THINKER study also comes from the Blood Bank where incoming samples are received and stored until they are available for testing.
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Updated coverage in Time
January 2022 update from Penn Medicine Communications