People who have liver transplants must take anti-rejection medication (immunosuppression) for the rest of their lives. If they stop, their immune system may reject the transplanted liver. However, anti-rejection medications have side effects.
People in this study will use tacrolimus as their main anti-rejection therapy. Tacrolimus is FDA approved as an anti-rejection drug after a liver transplant. The most common side effects of tacrolimus are increased risk of infection, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. It may also damage the kidneys and increase the risk of infections and cancers.
Because of the side effects of anti-rejection medications, an important goal of transplant research is to allow people to accept their transplanted organ without long term use of anti-rejection medications. This is called tolerance.