[ad_1]
A group of European scientists led by KU Leuven discovered a biomarker capable of identifying patients with symptoms of renal rejection symptoms after an antibody transplant.
Identification can be done by a simple blood test and at an early stage. This is the first known biomarker of antibody rejection. The researchers hope that the test can be developed more quickly for use in the hospital.
After a kidney transplant, rejections are common. To determine if the body rejects the organ, doctors usually perform a biopsy. In addition, rejection symptoms are often discovered too late, so that correct treatment is no longer always possible.
At Leuven University Hospitals in Belgium, transplant patients routinely undergo a kidney biopsy three months, one year and two years after the transplant. However, only the biopsy can detect the rejection symptoms present at this time, while the rejection can occur at any time. In addition, about 10 to 20% of rejections are not detected with current methods, which leads to graft failure, resumption of dialysis and the need for a new transplant.
Milestone in renal transplant research
For several years, research on kidney transplantation has focused on finding biomarkers capable of detecting the symptoms of organ rejection in the blood. Such a biomarker has now been discovered in a European study conducted by four university hospitals (Louvain, Paris, Hanover and Limoges) and led by nephrologists from KU Leuven.
This is the first time that researchers have found a biomarker for the rejection of kidney transplants by antibodies. For T-mediated rejection, a common type of rejection, some biomarkers in the blood have recently been discovered and are under development for clinical use. T cell rejection is treatable, but there are fewer treatment options for rejection with antibodies.
"The rejection by anti-HLA antibodies often has serious consequences, "said Professor Maarten Naesens, nephrologist at Leuven University Hospitals and principal investigator of the study.Traditional tests for badessing the function of transplanted kidneys often only identify the rejection that is already chronic and irreversible. Thanks to our biomarker, we can detect rejection much sooner and with a simple blood test. As the test is less invasive, we will be able to test more often than with current biopsies.. "
Clinical value
In the first phase, European researchers conducted a genome-wide study to determine differences in RNA molecules among 117 patients with or without renal rejection after transplantation. During the second phase, the different molecules of an independent group of 183 patients were transformed into a mathematical model. The final biomarker consists of eight RNA molecules measured by an RT-PCR technique. In the third phase, the biomarker was validated in 387 patients in four European university hospitals.
"In addition to developing the biomarker, this third phase was very important, "said Dr. Elisabet Van Loon of the Nephrology and Kidney Transplantation Research Group at KU Leuven.Researchers are often satisfied with a new discovery, even if they are unable to test it in independent clinical studies. Thanks to international cooperation, we have been able to validate our biomarker in a large group of patients. This gives us a lot of confidence in the clinical value of the new biomarker. "
Researchers now want to consult medical diagnostic companies to develop and standardize the test. "In principle, our antibody rejection test has been sufficiently validated for commercialization."said Professor Naesens.This is the next step and necessary to be able to offer the test to the patients. With the test, patients who do not reject antibodies will no longer have to undergo a biopsy. The biomarker will also help detect the rejection earlier and support the search for better drugs against rejection by antibodies. "
Source link
