Medical research charity, The National Kidney Research Fund (the Fund), has announced a unique collaborative partnership in the field of long-term outcomes in renal transplantation. The STEPP programme brings the resources of three of the UK’s leading transplant companies – Astellas (formerly Yamanouchi and Fujisawa), Roche and Wyeth, together with the expertise of the major professional groups in the field – The Renal Association and British Transplantation Society. The project will use IT-based solutions to ensure better management of patient information, promote evidence-based decision-making and improve the health and well being of patients who are transplanted, or are considering transplantation as a treatment for renal failure.
Dr James Medcalf, representing the successful consortium of renal transplant units which will be undertaking the research, explained: “Little is known about the long-term problems that might follow a kidney transplant, particularly if the patient returns to dialysis or has another transplant. Previous studies have focused on how well each transplant works in the short term, whereas this study, adopting a longer-term view, will collect both retrospective and prospective information on all transplant recipients in five major UK renal transplant centres – Leicester, London (Guys), Oxford (Churchill), Carshalton (St Helier) and Leeds (St James’).”
