YSPSL for Prevention of Ischemic Reperfusion Injury in Patients Undergoing Cadaveric Orthotopic Liver Transplantation

The study is designed to assess the feasibility of evaluating YSPSL for the amelioration of ischemia reperfusion injury following liver transplantation by administering YSPSL into the liver graft directly ex vivo via the portal vein and to the recipient intravenously prior to reperfusion. This study is an extension of the recent pilot study YSPSL-0002 with an almost identical study protocol. The rationale of this and the previous study is based on the recent observation that P-selectin expression has been associated in liver grafts with prolonged cold storage times and rejection. By examining biomarkers of IRI including P-selectin by immunohistochemistry and/or quantitative PCR, liver histology and hepatic blood flow using established techniques, the goal of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of using these modalities for future studies of safety and efficacy.