Incentivizing participation of compatible pairs in Kidney Paired Exchange Programs

Scientific Responsible: ANTONIO NICOLO'

Project objectives: There is a significant gap between the demand and supply of kidneys for patients needing transplants. Living donor kidney transplantation is the most promising solution to bridge this discrepancy. In many cases, a donor cannot donate an organ to a related patient due to blood or tissue incompatibility. Kidney Paired Donation (KPD) programs represent the best option, attempting to overcome incompatibility between living donor-recipient pairs by organizing a sequence of donor exchanges among different pairs. However, in many European countries, including Italy, KPD programs are not yet fully developed, and transplant authorities are still working to enhance them. This project proposes a way to expand the use of KPD in Italy. It aims to: i) analyze the potential benefits of including compatible pairs in a KPD that could benefit from their participation in the program; ii) identify the characteristics of such pairs that should be advised to participate in a KPD; iii) propose a protocol that could be used in Italy to encourage the participation of compatible pairs.

Grantor: MUR - PRIN 2022 PNRR

Duration: 30/11/2023 - 29/11/2025

Partners:

• University of Messina
• University of Padova, dSEA
• Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Center of Padova

dSEA staff involved:

• Antonio Nicolò
• Riccardo Domenico Saulle
• Umut Salman