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Harmacek D, Weidmann L, Castrezana Lopez K, Schmid N, Korach R, Bortel N, von Moos S, Rho E, Helmchen B, Gaspert A, Schachtner T. Molecular diagnosis of antibody-mediated rejection: Evaluating biopsy-based transcript diagnostics in the presence of donor-specific antibodies but without microvascular inflammation, a single-center descriptive analysis. Am J Transplant 2024:S1600-6135(24)00244-2. [PMID: 38548057 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajt.2024.03.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Biopsy-based transcript diagnostics may identify molecular antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) when microvascular inflammation (MVI) is absent. In this single-center cohort, biopsy-based transcript diagnostics were validated in 326 kidney allograft biopsies. A total of 71 histological AMR and 35 T cell-mediated rejection (TCMR) cases were identified as molecular AMR and TCMR in 55% and 63%, respectively. Among 121 cases without MVI (glomerulitis + peritubular capillaritis = 0), 45 (37%) donor-specific antibody (DSA)-positive and 76 (63%) DSA-negative cases were analyzed. Twenty-one out of the 121 (17%) cases showed borderline changes, or TCMR, while BK nephropathy was excluded. None of the 45 DSA-positive patients showed molecular AMR. Among 76 DSA-negative patients, 2 had mixed molecular AMR/TCMR. All-AMR phenotype scores (sum of R4-R6) exhibited median values of 0.13 and 0.12 for DSA-positive and DSA-negative patients, respectively (P = .84). A total of 13% (6/45) DSA-positive and 11% (8/76) DSA-negative patients showed an all-AMR phenotype score > 0.30 (P = .77). Patients with a higher all-AMR phenotype score showed 33% more histologic TCMR (P = .005). The median all-AMR phenotype scores of glomerular basement membrane double contours = 0 and glomerular basement membrane double contours > 0 biopsies were 0.12 and 0.10, respectively (P = .35). Biopsy-based transcript diagnostics did not identify molecular AMR in cases without MVI. Follow-up biopsies and outcome data should evaluate the clinical relevance of subthreshold molecular alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dusan Harmacek
- Division of Nephrology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lukas Weidmann
- Division of Nephrology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Nicolas Schmid
- Division of Nephrology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Raphael Korach
- Division of Nephrology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nicola Bortel
- Division of Nephrology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Seraina von Moos
- Division of Nephrology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Elena Rho
- Division of Nephrology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Birgit Helmchen
- Institute of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ariana Gaspert
- Institute of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Schachtner
- Division of Nephrology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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Seeking Standardized Definitions for HLA-incompatible Kidney Transplants: A Systematic Review. Transplantation 2023; 107:231-253. [PMID: 35915547 DOI: 10.1097/tp.0000000000004262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is no standard definition for "HLA incompatible" transplants. For the first time, we systematically assessed how HLA incompatibility was defined in contemporary peer-reviewed publications and its prognostic implication to transplant outcomes. METHODS We combined 2 independent searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library from 2015 to 2019. Content-expert reviewers screened for original research on outcomes of HLA-incompatible transplants (defined as allele or molecular mismatch and solid-phase or cell-based assays). We ascertained the completeness of reporting on a predefined set of variables assessing HLA incompatibility, therapies, and outcomes. Given significant heterogeneity, we conducted narrative synthesis and assessed risk of bias in studies examining the association between death-censored graft failure and HLA incompatibility. RESULTS Of 6656 screened articles, 163 evaluated transplant outcomes by HLA incompatibility. Most articles reported on cytotoxic/flow T-cell crossmatches (n = 98). Molecular genotypes were reported for selected loci at the allele-group level. Sixteen articles reported on epitope compatibility. Pretransplant donor-specific HLA antibodies were often considered (n = 143); yet there was heterogeneity in sample handling, assay procedure, and incomplete reporting on donor-specific HLA antibodies assignment. Induction (n = 129) and maintenance immunosuppression (n = 140) were frequently mentioned but less so rejection treatment (n = 72) and desensitization (n = 70). Studies assessing death-censored graft failure risk by HLA incompatibility were vulnerable to bias in the participant, predictor, and analysis domains. CONCLUSIONS Optimization of transplant outcomes and personalized care depends on accurate HLA compatibility assessment. Reporting on a standard set of variables will help assess generalizability of research, allow knowledge synthesis, and facilitate international collaboration in clinical trials.
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Rosales IA, Mahowald GK, Tomaszewski K, Hotta K, Iwahara N, Otsuka T, Tsuji T, Takada Y, Acheampong E, Araujo-Medina M, Bruce A, Rios A, Cosimi AB, Elias N, Kawai T, Gilligan H, Safa K, Riella LV, Tolkoff-Rubin NE, Williams WW, Smith RN, Colvin RB. Banff Human Organ Transplant Transcripts Correlate with Renal Allograft Pathology and Outcome: Importance of Capillaritis and Subpathologic Rejection. J Am Soc Nephrol 2022; 33:2306-2319. [PMID: 36450597 PMCID: PMC9731628 DOI: 10.1681/asn.2022040444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND To seek insights into the pathogenesis of chronic active antibody-mediated rejection (CAMR), we performed mRNA analysis and correlated transcripts with pathologic component scores and graft outcomes. METHODS We utilized the NanoString nCounter platform and the Banff Human Organ Transplant gene panel to quantify transcripts on 326 archived renal allograft biopsy samples. This system allowed correlation of transcripts with Banff pathology scores from the same tissue block and correlation with long-term outcomes. RESULTS The only pathology score that correlated with AMR pathways in CAMR was peritubular capillaritis (ptc). C4d, cg, g, v, i, t, or ci scores did not correlate. DSA-negative CAMR had lower AMR pathway scores than DSA-positive CAMR. Transcript analysis in non-CAMR biopsies yielded evidence of increased risk of later CAMR. Among 108 patients without histologic CAMR, 23 developed overt biopsy-documented CAMR within 5 years and as a group had higher AMR pathway scores (P=3.4 × 10-5). Random forest analysis correlated 3-year graft loss with elevated damage, innate immunity, and macrophage pathway scores in CAMR and TCMR. Graft failure in CAMR was associated with TCMR transcripts but not with AMR transcripts, and graft failure in TCMR was associated with AMR transcripts but not with TCMR transcripts. CONCLUSIONS Peritubular capillary inflammation and DSA are the primary drivers of AMR transcript elevation. Transcripts revealed subpathological evidence of AMR, which often preceded histologic CAMR and subpathological evidence of TCMR that predicted graft loss in CAMR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivy A. Rosales
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Grace K. Mahowald
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kristen Tomaszewski
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kiyohiko Hotta
- Department of Urology, Hokkaido University Hospital, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Naoya Iwahara
- Department of Urology, Hokkaido University Hospital, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Takuya Otsuka
- Department of Surgical Pathology, Hokkaido University Hospital, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Takahiro Tsuji
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo City General Hospital, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Yusuke Takada
- Department of Kidney Transplant Surgery, Sapporo City General Hospital, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Ellen Acheampong
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Milagros Araujo-Medina
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Amy Bruce
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Andrea Rios
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Anthony Benedict Cosimi
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Nahel Elias
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Tatsuo Kawai
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Hannah Gilligan
- Division of Nephrology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kassem Safa
- Division of Nephrology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Leonardo V. Riella
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Division of Nephrology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Nina E. Tolkoff-Rubin
- Division of Nephrology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Winfred W. Williams
- Division of Nephrology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Rex Neal Smith
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Robert B. Colvin
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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Cornell LD. Histopathologic Features of Antibody Mediated Rejection: The Banff Classification and Beyond. Front Immunol 2021; 12:718122. [PMID: 34646262 PMCID: PMC8503253 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.718122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibody mediated rejection (ABMR) in the kidney can show a wide range of clinical presentations and histopathologic patterns. The Banff 2019 classification currently recognizes four diagnostic categories: 1. Active ABMR, 2. Chronic active ABMR, 3. Chronic (inactive) ABMR, and 4. C4d staining without evidence of rejection. This categorization is limited in that it does not adequately represent the spectrum of antibody associated injury in allograft, it is based on biopsy findings without incorporating clinical features (e.g., time post-transplant, de novo versus preformed DSA, protocol versus indication biopsy, complement inhibitor drugs), the scoring is not adequately reproducible, and the terminology is confusing. These limitations are particularly relevant in patients undergoing desensitization or positive crossmatch kidney transplantation. In this article, I discuss Banff criteria for these ABMR categories, with a focus on patients with pre-transplant DSA, and offer a framework for considering the continuum of allograft injury associated with donor specific antibody in these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn D Cornell
- Division of Anatomic Pathology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
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Uehara M, Bahmani B, Jiang L, Jung S, Banouni N, Kasinath V, Solhjou Z, Jing Z, Ordikhani F, Bae M, Clardy J, Annabi N, McGrath MM, Abdi R. Nanodelivery of Mycophenolate Mofetil to the Organ Improves Transplant Vasculopathy. ACS NANO 2019; 13:12393-12407. [PMID: 31518498 PMCID: PMC7247279 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.9b05115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Inflammation occurring within the transplanted organ from the time of harvest is an important stimulus of early alloimmune reactivity and promotes chronic allograft rejection. Chronic immune-mediated injury remains the primary obstacle to the long-term success of organ transplantation. However, organ transplantation represents a rare clinical setting in which the organ is accessible ex vivo, providing an opportunity to use nanotechnology to deliver therapeutics directly to the graft. This approach facilitates the directed delivery of immunosuppressive agents (ISA) to target local pathogenic immune responses prior to the transplantation. Here, we have developed a system of direct delivery and sustained release of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) to treat the donor organ prior to transplantation. Perfusion of a donor mouse heart with MMF-loaded PEG-PLGA nanoparticles (MMF-NPs) prior to transplantation abrogated cardiac transplant vasculopathy by suppressing intragraft pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Our findings demonstrate that ex vivo delivery of an ISA to donor organs using a nanocarrier can serve as a clinically feasible approach to reduce transplant immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayuko Uehara
- Transplantation Research Center, Renal Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Baharak Bahmani
- Transplantation Research Center, Renal Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Liwei Jiang
- Transplantation Research Center, Renal Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sungwook Jung
- Transplantation Research Center, Renal Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Naima Banouni
- Transplantation Research Center, Renal Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Vivek Kasinath
- Transplantation Research Center, Renal Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zhabiz Solhjou
- Transplantation Research Center, Renal Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zhao Jing
- Transplantation Research Center, Renal Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Farideh Ordikhani
- Transplantation Research Center, Renal Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Munhyung Bae
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jon Clardy
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nasim Annabi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Martina M. McGrath
- Transplantation Research Center, Renal Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Address correspondence to: Reza Abdi, MD, Transplantation Research Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 221 Longwood Ave, Boston MA 02115, USA, Tel: 617-732-5259, Fax: 617-732-5254, ; Martina M. McGrath, Transplantation Research Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 221 Longwood Ave, Boston MA 02115, USA, Tel: 617-732-5259, Fax: 617-732-5254,
| | - Reza Abdi
- Transplantation Research Center, Renal Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Address correspondence to: Reza Abdi, MD, Transplantation Research Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 221 Longwood Ave, Boston MA 02115, USA, Tel: 617-732-5259, Fax: 617-732-5254, ; Martina M. McGrath, Transplantation Research Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 221 Longwood Ave, Boston MA 02115, USA, Tel: 617-732-5259, Fax: 617-732-5254,
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Abreu R, Carvalho F, Viana H, Mesquita I, Possante M, Aires I, Caeiro F, Silva C, Cotovio P, Ferreira A, Remédio F, Nolasco F. Morphologic patterns and treatment of transplant glomerulopathy: A retrospective analysis. Clin Transplant 2017; 31. [PMID: 28135784 DOI: 10.1111/ctr.12915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Transplant glomerulopathy is mainly due to chronic antibody-mediated rejection and actually represents a major cause of long-term allograft failure. The lack of effective treatment remains a serious problem in transplantation. A retrospective and uni-center study was performed in 48 kidney allograft recipients with transplant glomerulopathy between January 2010 and December 2015. Median time for diagnosis was 7.1 (3.6-11.8) years post-transplant. Light microscopy showed severity of transplant glomerulopathy in the majority of patients (cg1=10.4%; cg2=20.8%; cg3=68.8%). Moderate microvascular inflammation was present in 56.3% (g+ptc≥2), and almost half of recipients (51.1%) were C4d positive in immunofluorescence. Female gender (P=.001), age (P=.043), renal dysfunction (P=.002), acute rejection episodes (P=.026), and anti-HLA class II antibodies (P=.004) were associated with kidney allograft failure. Treatment of transplant glomerulopathy was performed in 67.6% of patients. The histologic and laboratory features that led to a therapeutic intervention were score ptc (P=.021), C4d (P=.03), and the presence of anti-HLA antibodies (P=.029), whereas score ah (P=.005) was associated with conservative measure. The overall cumulative kidney allograft survival at 10 years was 75%. Treatment of transplant glomerulopathy was ineffective to improve long-term kidney allograft survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Abreu
- Nephrology Department, Centro Hospitalar Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
| | | | - Helena Viana
- Nephrology Department, Hospital Curry Cabral, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Isabel Mesquita
- Nephrology Department, Hospital Curry Cabral, Lisboa, Portugal
| | | | - Inês Aires
- Nephrology Department, Hospital Curry Cabral, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Fernando Caeiro
- Nephrology Department, Hospital Curry Cabral, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Cecília Silva
- Nephrology Department, Hospital Curry Cabral, Lisboa, Portugal
| | | | - Aníbal Ferreira
- Nephrology Department, Hospital Curry Cabral, Lisboa, Portugal
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Taner T, Park WD, Stegall MD. Unique molecular changes in kidney allografts after simultaneous liver-kidney compared with solitary kidney transplantation. Kidney Int 2017; 91:1193-1202. [PMID: 28233612 DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2016.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2016] [Revised: 12/13/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Kidney allografts transplanted simultaneously with liver allografts from the same donor are known to be immunologically privileged. This is especially evident in recipients with high levels of donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies. Here we investigated the mechanisms of liver's protective impact using gene expression in the kidney allograft. Select solitary kidney transplant or simultaneous liver-kidney transplant recipients were retrospectively reviewed and separated into four groups: 16 cross-match negative kidney transplants, 15 cross-match positive kidney transplants, 12 cross-match negative simultaneous liver-kidney transplants, and nine cross-match-positive simultaneous liver-kidney transplants. Surveillance biopsies of cross-match-positive kidney transplants had increased expression of genes associated with donor-specific antigens, inflammation, and endothelial cell activation compared to cross-match-negative kidney transplants. These changes were not found in cross-match-positive simultaneous liver-kidney transplant biopsies when compared to cross-match-negative simultaneous liver-kidney transplants. In addition, simultaneously transplanting a liver markedly increased renal expression of genes associated with tissue integrity/metabolism, regardless of the cross-match status. While the expression of inflammatory gene sets in cross-match-positive simultaneous liver-kidney transplants was not completely reduced to the level of cross-match-negative kidney transplants, the downstream effects of donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies were blocked. Thus, simultaneous liver-kidney transplants can have a profound impact on the kidney allograft, not only by decreasing inflammation and avoiding endothelial cell activation in cross-match-positive recipients, but also by increasing processes associated with tissue integrity/metabolism by unknown mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timucin Taner
- William J. von Liebig Center for Transplantation and Clinical Regeneration, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
| | - Walter D Park
- William J. von Liebig Center for Transplantation and Clinical Regeneration, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Mark D Stegall
- William J. von Liebig Center for Transplantation and Clinical Regeneration, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
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