Mice Testicles Aid In Lab Transplants

A substance found in rodent testicles may hold the key to preventing the rejection of transplanted organs, researchers said Wednesday.

A research team at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center found that a molecule called CD95 ligand in the testicles of mice appears to prevent the rodents’ immune systems from killing transplanted cells.

“This could be the magic elixir that we can use to prevent graft rejection,” said Donald Bellgrau, associate professor of immunology, who reported the results Wednesday in the journal Nature.

The researchers are a long way from testing the molecule in humans.