The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first allogeneic tissue product for the treatment of children born without a thymus, a condition known as congenital athymia. The product, Rethymic, is a donor derived product that is processed and cultured and implanted into patients to help reconstitute immunity in the absence of a thymus gland. The thymus is located behind the sternum and between the lungs, and is active until puberty. The gland secretes thymosin, a hormone necessary for T cell development and production.
