The transplant was performed at Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, making it a global pioneer.

All three babies are evolving “favorably.”

For the first time, thymus-derived Treg cells are being used, potentially prolonging the survival of the transplanted organ and the life of the patient.

A team of researchers at Gregorio Marañón Hospital in the Community of Madrid has developed a world-pioneering cell-based treatment to prevent transplant rejection. Using this technique, three infant patients have already been treated, all progressing favorably, with highly promising results.

The treatment, the result of more than six years of research conducted entirely at the hospital, may completely inhibit or significantly reduce the immune response responsible for rejection. Its goal is to extend indefinitely the survival of the transplanted organ and the life of the patient.

This new approach, based on thymus-derived regulatory T cells (thyTreg), also aims to eliminate the need for immunosuppressive drugs. The therapy could be implemented in regional hospitals in the near future.

Researchers explained that three babies who received heart transplants are already undergoing this treatment and are progressing favorably. Nine months after starting therapy, the first patient continues to show no signs of rejection and maintains adequate levels of regulatory cells — a key factor in preventing rejection.

The Regional Minister of Health of the Community of Madrid, Enrique Ruiz Escudero, attended the presentation and described the development as “another major milestone for Spanish healthcare.” “We are witnessing an unprecedented medical breakthrough. We must continue to firmly support health research,” he stated.

Little Irene

Of the three children treated so far, the first was six-month-old Irene, born with a congenital heart defect requiring a heart transplant. She became the first patient in the world to receive this innovative therapy following her transplant at Gregorio Marañón Hospital.

Irene is progressing favorably in her immune response. Researchers are closely monitoring how thyTreg therapy may reduce the risk of rejecting her new heart, particularly during the first year post-transplant — the most critical period.

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