An enzyme that clears away antibodies opened the door to a kidney transplant for patients told no match exists

Some people waiting for a kidney are 'highly sensitised': their immune systems carry so many antibodies that almost any donor organ would be rejected, leaving them stuck on dialysis for years. In a European study of 50 such patients, a dose of imlifidase (Idefirix) — an enzyme that snips those antibodies apart for a short window — let them receive transplants from donors who would normally have been incompatible. One year on, 90% were free of graft failure, graft survival was 92% and 98% of the patients were alive, in results presented at the American Society of Nephrology's Kidney Week by Dr Oriol Bestard of Barcelona's Vall d'Hebron University Hospital.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: tech innovation