The biggest challenge in organ transplantation, immune rejection, can now be suppressed without side effects thanks to a newly developed technology. Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) announced on the 9th that, together with a research team from Ewha Womans University, it has developed an “Immune-Shield” technology that sprays an immunosuppressant onto the surface of a transplanted organ using an adhesive material derived from mussels.

Organ transplantation is the most effective treatment for restoring organs damaged by accidents or disease. However, a severe global shortage of transplantable organs has led to xenotransplantation—transplanting animal organs into humans—being considered as an alternative. The problem is that the human immune system triggers a rejection response by recognizing the transplanted organ as an external invader. To prevent this, patients have had to take immunosuppressants continuously, which carries a high risk of side effects such as nephrotoxicity and increased susceptibility to infection.

Professor Hyung Joon Cha of the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology (Medical Science major) at POSTECH, doctoral candidate Sang Min Lee and Dr. Hyun Taek Woo of the Department of Chemical Engineering, and Professor Gyeil Joo of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Ewha Womans University focused on a method of delivering immunosuppressive drugs not to the “whole body” but specifically to the “transplanted organ.” The research team developed a technology that directly attaches tiny hydrogel particles containing immunosuppressants to the surface of the organ by using the mechanism that allows mussels to adhere strongly even underwater. The team named this organ-surface coating method using adhesive microgels “Immune-Shield.”

Immune-Shield is applied in a spray-like manner. It forms a stable coating even on moisture-rich organ surfaces, and the microgels slowly release the immunosuppressant. In xenotransplantation experiments, application of Immune-Shield significantly reduced immune cell infiltration and inflammatory responses, extending the survival time of the transplanted tissue. The research findings were recently published in the Journal of Controlled Release, an international academic journal in the fields of pharmacology and drug delivery.

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