Latest news with #KeckMedicine
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
USC and UCLA Team Up for World's First-in-Human Bladder Transplant
Historic surgery, the result of years of research at Keck Medicine of USC and UCLA Health, opens the door for improved treatment of non-functioning bladders Surgeons from Keck Medicine of USC and UCLA Health have performed the world's first-in-human bladder transplant. The surgery was successfully completed at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center earlier this month in a joint effort by Inderbir Gill, MD, founding executive director of USC Urology, and Nima Nassiri, MD, urologic transplant surgeon and director of the UCLA Vascularized Composite Bladder Allograft Transplant Program. 'This surgery is a historic moment in medicine and stands to impact how we manage carefully selected patients with highly symptomatic 'terminal' bladders that are no longer functioning,' said Gill, who is also chair and Distinguished Professor of Urology and Shirley and Donald Skinner Chair in Urologic Cancer Surgery with the Keck School of Medicine of USC. 'Transplantation is a life-saving and life-enhancing treatment option for many conditions affecting major organs, and now the bladder can be added to the list.' 'This first attempt at bladder transplantation has been over four years in the making,' Nassiri said. 'For the appropriately selected patient, it is exciting to be able to offer a new potential option.' Nassiri, formerly a urology resident with the Keck School and now assistant professor of urology and kidney transplantation at UCLA, and Gill worked together for several years at the Keck School to develop the new surgical technique, design a clinical trial and secure the necessary regulatory approvals. Numerous pre-clinical procedures were performed both at Keck Medical Center of USC and OneLegacy, Southern California's organ procurement organization, to prepare for this first-in-human bladder transplant. The patient had been dialysis-dependent for seven years. He lost the majority of his bladder during surgery to resect cancer over five years ago, leaving the remainder of his bladder too small and compromised to function appropriately. Both of his kidneys were subsequently removed due to renal cancer. To address these deficits, Drs. Gill and Nassiri performed a combined kidney and bladder transplant, allowing the patient to immediately stop dialysis and produce urine for the first time in seven years. First, the kidney and then the bladder were transplanted. The new kidney was then connected to the new bladder. The entire procedure took approximately eight hours. 'The kidney immediately made a large volume of urine, and the patient's kidney function improved immediately,' Nassiri added. 'There was no need for any dialysis after surgery, and the urine drained properly into the new bladder.' 'Despite the complexity of the case, everything went according to plan and the surgery was successful,' said Gill. 'The patient is doing well, and we are satisfied with his clinical progress to date.' The recovery of the kidney and bladder from the donor was performed at OneLegacy's Transplant Recovery Center in Azusa, California. All parts of the procedure, including surgery and post-surgical monitoring during the transplantation, were aligned with the highest current clinical and research standards. Millions of people around the globe experience some degree of bladder disease and dysfunction. Some develop terminal bladders that are either non-functioning and/or cause constant pain, repeated infections and other complications. Current treatment for severe terminal cases of bladder dysfunction or a bladder that has been removed due to various conditions includes replacement or augmentation of the urinary reservoir. These surgeries use a portion of a patient's intestine to create a new bladder or a pathway for the urine to exit the body. 'While these surgeries can be effective, they come with many short- and long-term risks that compromise a patient's health, such as recurrent infections, compromised kidney function and digestive issues,' said Gill. 'A bladder transplant, on the other hand, delivers a more 'normal' urinary reservoir and may circumvent some of the challenges associated with using the intestine,' said Nassiri. The biggest risks of organ transplant are the body's potential rejection of the organ and side effects caused by the mandatory immunosuppressive drugs given to prevent organ rejection. 'Because of the need for long-term immunosuppression, the best current candidates are those with a pre-existing organ transplant or those who need a combined kidney and bladder transplant,' said Nassiri. As a first-in-human attempt, there are naturally many unknowns associated with the procedure, such as how well the transplanted bladder will function immediately and over time, and how much immunosuppression will ultimately be needed. 'Despite the unknowns, our goal is to understand if bladder transplantation can help patients with severely compromised bladders lead healthier lives,' said Gill. Bladder transplants have not been done previously, in part because of the complicated vascular structure of the pelvic area and the technical complexity of the procedure. As part of the research and development stage, Gill and Nassiri successfully completed numerous practice transplantation surgeries at Keck Medical Center of USC, including the first-ever robotic bladder retrievals and successful robotic transplantations in five recently deceased donors with cardiac function maintained on ventilator support. Several non-robotic trial runs of bladder recovery were performed at OneLegacy by Gill and Nassiri, allowing them to perfect the technique while working alongside multidisciplinary surgical teams. The bladder transplant was done as part of a UCLA clinical trial. Gill and Nassiri hope to perform more bladder transplants together in the near future. Under Gill's leadership, USC Urology has rapidly established itself as a pioneer and world leader in the most advanced robotic urologic oncologic surgeries for kidney, bladder, prostate, testicular and penile cancers and has achieved important milestones leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligence to optimize patient outcomes. Information was sourced from Keck Medicine of USC. To learn more, contact
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
USC Keck Medicine's major donation to students affected by Eaton Fire
The University of Southern California is coming together to help students affected by the Eaton Fire. The university is providing books and a grant to help rebuild a school burned in the January wildfire. The book drive was organized by USC's Keck Medicine. On Thursday, the Keck staff brought some of the 5,000 books collected from donations to students of Pasadena's Rosebud Academy. The elementary school was destroyed in the Eaton Fire, and now students are temporarily housed at a nearby campus. Along with the books, a $20,000 grant from Keck Medicine will go to rebuilding efforts. 'Pasadena Rosebud Academy is more than just a school—it's a family. Our dedicated teachers and staff work tirelessly to create a safe, inspiring, and enriching learning environment where students develop critical thinking skills, explore new opportunities, and build lifelong friendships,' the school's GoFundMe reads. The Rosebud Academy's fundraising goal is $100,000. To donate, tap here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Groundbreaking transplant gives recipient hope of a ‘normal life'
Surgeons at Keck Medicine of USC and UCLA Health have performed the world's first bladder transplant. The recipient, Oscar Larrainzar, 42, had been on dialysis for seven years and lost most of his bladder to cancer. He says he now hopes he can live a 'normal life' and spend time with his children. The complex eight-hour surgery involved transplanting a kidney, followed by the bladder. The transplanted kidney immediately began producing urine, eliminating the need for dialysis post-surgery. The groundbreaking procedure offers a potential alternative to reconstructive bladder surgery, which carries significant risks.
Globe and Mail
20-05-2025
- Health
- Globe and Mail
Aclarion Announces Addition of Keck Medical Center of USC as CLARITY Trial Site
BROOMFIELD, Colo., May 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aclarion, Inc., ('Aclarion' or the 'Company') (Nasdaq: ACON, ACONW), a healthcare technology company that is leveraging biomarkers and proprietary augmented intelligence (AI) algorithms to help physicians identify the location of chronic low back pain, today announced the addition of Keck Medical Center of USC as a CLARITY (C hronic L ow b A ck pain R andomized I ndependent T rial stud Y) trial site. The pivotal CLARITY study is designed to demonstrate Nociscan's clinical and economic value in spine surgery. 'Keck Medicine of USC strives to offer patients access to new treatments and procedures, and tailored treatment options for all types of spine conditions – from simple to complex,' says Patrick Hsieh, MD, neurological spine surgeon with Keck Medicine of USC. 'The USC Spine Center's participation in the CLARITY trial demonstrates our commitment to deepening our understanding of spinal conditions to best serve patients' specific care needs.' Keck Medicine of USC is the latest CLARITY trial site, joining Johns Hopkins Medicine, Northwestern Medicine, Advocate Aurora Research Institute and Texas Back Institute. The principal investigator for the trial is Dr. Nicholas Theodore of Johns Hopkins Medicine. The CLARITY trial is a prospective, randomized multi-center study evaluating patients who are scheduled to undergo surgical treatment of 1- or 2- level discogenic low back pain. The study will enroll 300 patients at multiple high-volume sites across the US and all patients will receive a Nociscan prior to surgery. The study will be randomized at a 1:1 ratio of surgeons blinded-to-Nociscan and unblinded-to-Nociscan to guide the surgical treatment (Fusion / TDR). The primary endpoint is change in back pain as measured on a 100mm VAS Back at 12 months compared to baseline, with several secondary endpoints collected. 'The USC Spine Center has a long history of being at the forefront of innovation and research to advance patient care and we look forward to partnering with Dr. Hsieh and the USC Spine Center team on the CLARITY trial,' said Ryan Bond, Chief Strategy Officer at Aclarion. 'We anticipate the CLARITY trial to represent a turning point in how physicians are able to leverage Nociscan to understand and diagnose chronic low back pain for the millions of patients suffering from this debilitating condition.' Chronic low back pain is a global healthcare problem with approximately 266 million people worldwide suffering from degenerative spine disease and low back pain. Aclarion's Nociscan solution is the first evidence-supported SaaS platform to noninvasively help physicians distinguish between painful and nonpainful discs in the lumbar spine. Nociscan objectively quantifies chemical biomarkers demonstrated to be associated with disc pain and has the potential to drive better surgical outcomes. For more information about CLARITY, please visit: CLARITY Trial To find a Nociscan center, view our site map here. All organizations cited and/or quotes from individuals not part of Aclarion have reviewed and approved the contents herein. About Aclarion, Inc. Aclarion is a healthcare technology company that leverages Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ('MRS'), proprietary signal processing techniques, biomarkers, and augmented intelligence algorithms to optimize clinical treatments. The Company is first addressing the chronic low back pain market with Nociscan, the first, evidence-supported, SaaS platform to noninvasively help physicians distinguish between painful and nonpainful discs in the lumbar spine. Through a cloud connection, Nociscan receives magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) data from an MRI machine for each lumbar disc being evaluated. In the cloud, proprietary signal processing techniques extract and quantify chemical biomarkers demonstrated to be associated with disc pain. Biomarker data is entered into proprietary algorithms to indicate if a disc may be a source of pain. When used with other diagnostic tools, Nociscan provides critical insights into the location of a patient's low back pain, giving physicians clarity to optimize treatment strategies. For more information, please visit Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 about the Company's current expectations about future results, performance, prospects and opportunities. Statements that are not historical facts, such as 'anticipates,' 'believes' and 'expects' or similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the current plans and expectations of management and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks that could significantly affect the Company's current plans and expectations, as well as future results of operations and financial condition. These and other risks and uncertainties are discussed more fully in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are encouraged to review the section titled 'Risk Factors' in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, as well as other disclosures contained in the Prospectus and subsequent filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of this date and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Investor Contacts: Kirin M. Smith PCG Advisory, Inc. ksmith@ Media Contacts:
The Independent
19-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
World-first bladder transplant a ‘historic' success four years in the making
Surgeons have performed the world's first-ever human bladder transplant – calling it a 'historic' operation that has the potential to change the lives of millions patients with bladder diseases. For the first bladder transplant patient Oscar Larrainzar, after seven years on dialysis with no kidneys and a barely functioning bladder, the procedure was a success - with no dialysis needed post-op. 'My hope is to have a better life,' Mr Larrainzar said. 'I'm still 42 and I have kids, I would like to see them grow so as much as I can have a better life, normal life, in the best possible way, that's what I'm hoping for.' In a joint effort between Keck Medicine of USC and UCLA Health, surgeons performed the groundbreaking surgery on May 4, and the patient is now recovering well, the experts said. Dr Inderbir Gill, the founding executive director of USC Urology, said: 'This surgery is a historic moment in medicine and stands to impact how we manage carefully selected patients with highly symptomatic 'terminal' bladders that are no longer functioning. 'Transplantation is a lifesaving and life-enhancing treatment option for many conditions affecting major organs, and now the bladder can be added to the list.' Dr Gill worked with UCLA urologic transplant surgeon Nima Nassiri for years to develop the new and complex surgical technique, which involved transplanting a kidney, followed by a bladder, into the patient. The whole procedure lasted eight hours, the experts said. 'This first attempt at bladder transplantation has been over four years in the making,' Nassiri said. 'For the appropriately selected patient, it is exciting to be able to offer a new potential option.' Mr Larrainzar had been on dialysis for seven years after losing most of his bladder when a tumour was removed. Both of his kidneys had also been removed due to renal cancer. Dr Nassiri said following the surgery, Mr Larrainzar's kidney immediately began producing urine. 'There was no need for any dialysis after surgery, and the urine drained properly into the new bladder,' he said. Dr Gill said, despite the complexity of the case, everything went according to plan. 'The patient is doing well, and we are satisfied with his clinical progress to date,' he said. Millions of people around the world live with a degree of bladder disease or dysfunction, the urologists said, and current treatment for severe so-called terminal cases in which their bladders can stop functioning can involve creating a new bladder with part of the patient's intestine. Dr Nassiri said while those surgeries can help, they also come with short and long-term risks that can have ongoing effects on the patients' health. 'A bladder transplant, on the other hand, results in a more normal urinary reservoir, and may circumvent some short- and long-term issues associated with using the intestine,' he said. The experts acknowledged that because it is a first-of-its-kind procedure, there are many unknowns, including how well the bladder will function over time. 'Despite the unknowns, our goal is to understand if bladder transplantation can help patients with severely compromised bladders lead healthier lives,' Dr Gill said. The surgery was performed as part of a UCLA clinical trial, and the urologists hope to perform more of the pioneering surgeries in the near future.
