Tolerogenic dendritic cells as a cell therapy to prevent chronic rejection in kidney transplantation

Kidney transplantation (KT) is nowadays a routine procedure for people with end-stage renal disease. Treatment with immunosuppressive (IS) drugs has significantly decreased acute rejection rates. However, rates of long-term kidney loss have remained rather constant over the last decades due to the persistence of chronic allograft injury. Moreover, the lack of specificity of IS drugs renders the recipient susceptible to infections and cancer in the long-term. In this sense, Tolerogenic Dendritic Cell (TolDC)-based therapy represents an innovative and promising approach to achieve kidney transplant success through the induction of immune tolerance.