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Organ and cell transplantations are currently the standard therapy for end-stage organ failure. However, allograft rejections, monitoring of optimal immunosuppression, and shortage of donor organs, are major problems encountered in the field.

The Sahlgrenska Transplantation Unit which is the largest organ transplant clinic in Sweden, has in 2008 made strategic recruitments of a multi-disciplinary team of highly qualified and experienced transplant surgeons and research scientists who, in close collaboration with the clinical transplantation programs, have established the Laboratory for Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine at the Sahlgrenska Academy.

The various projects we present concern:

1) Prevention of allograft rejection by improved donor-recipient selection.
2) Solve organ shortage using two new strategies - namely to avoid allograft rejection by the creation of non-immunogenic scaffolds both for allo- and xenograft rejection and the generation of endothelial and hepatic progenitor cells for transplantation.

We have introduced new specific methods to characterize and assess the importance of alloantibodies, both HLA and non-HLA-specific, as a risk factor for graft rejections. Our efforts aiming at understanding the molecular basis of xenograft rejection will continue, but will focus on delineating the immunogenicity of vascular scaffolds (vessels and heart valves) derived from pig. Such scaffolds may constitute an on-demand source of templates for tissue-engineered vascular grafts.
We have succeeded in isolating human endothelial and liver progenitor cells that not only self-proliferate ex vivo, but also functionally repopulate the damaged organs/tissues of mice with acutely injured organs.
Recently, we have been pioneering in the field of tissue-engineering, creating biocompatible blood vessels for clinical use. Experimental injury models will be used to study mechanisms of human progenitor cell migration, integration and engraftment in the injured tissues. Deciphering mechanisms of stem cell migration and engraftment will provide clinically relevant information that will make tissue repopulation with stem cells more feasible clinically. Tissue-engineered biocompatible tissues or organs using recipient’s autologous stem cells will be a major breakthrough in regenerative medicine and may help solve the organ shortage.

GU Holding is a company owned by the Swedish government. Its mission is to provide funds and business competence for new companies to ensure growth of value and development of companies based on top-notch academic competence and research within University of Gothenburg.

The business concept consists of supplying project and start-up capital together with business competency to add value to and efficiently develop new businesses based on academic leading edge competency and research results. The aim is to create successful growth companies. All projects must be commercially viable, and business ideas and inventions must meet high standards.

GU Holding's mission is to contribute to the development of University of Gothenburg, its staff as well as the whole of the Västra Götaland region. There is close cooperation between the university, including all pursued disciplines, and its various bodies dealing with commercialisation, such as GU Research and Innovation Services.

GU Holding works together with Research and innovationservice at University of Gothenburg. Further, GU Holding has close contact with other innovation actors, such as The Innovation Bridge, Sahlgrenska Science Park, Vinnova, Innovationskontor Väst, Västra Götaland Region and Tillväxtverket as well as business entrepreneurs, private actors within trade and industry or on the capital market, for instance highly esteemed venture capitalists.

The portfolio of GU Holding consists of 33 newly build companies and 14 business projects in many different areas.

GU Holding has invested in pain relief, speaking computers, customized back-in counters, security, oyster farming, a cure for kidney cancer and fish feed ingredient to name a few.