Memory B cells and active antibody production are present in ectopic lymphoid structures in the epicardial coronary arteries of cardiac transplant patients

The first-line option for patients with heart failure is a transplant. Although newer drugs have improved the early survival of patients, rates of long-term survival after a transplant have not improved. This is because of a large lesion that develops in the arteries of the transplant, and this lesion develops from the patient's immune system reacting to the transplanted heart. This lesion can cause a blockage in the arteries and prevent blood flow to and from the heart. When looking at arteries from patients with a heart transplant, we see organized groups of immune cells near the damaged arteries. Our research is trying to determine what these types of cells are and how we can stop them from causing the lesion to develop in the transplanted heart.