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Clinical Correlates and Outcomes of Dual Basiliximab and Antithymocyte Globulin Induction in Kidney Transplant Recipients: A National Study. Transplant Direct 2021; 7:e736. [PMID: 35836670 PMCID: PMC9276156 DOI: 10.1097/txd.0000000000001190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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Ruggenenti P, Cravedi P, Gotti E, Plati A, Marasà M, Sandrini S, Bossini N, Citterio F, Minetti E, Montanaro D, Sabadini E, Tardanico R, Martinetti D, Gaspari F, Villa A, Perna A, Peraro F, Remuzzi G. Mycophenolate mofetil versus azathioprine in kidney transplant recipients on steroid-free, low-dose cyclosporine immunosuppression (ATHENA): A pragmatic randomized trial. PLoS Med 2021; 18:e1003668. [PMID: 34166370 PMCID: PMC8224852 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND We compared protection of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and azathioprine (AZA) against acute cellular rejection (ACR) and chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) in kidney transplant recipients on steroid-free, low-dose cyclosporine (CsA) microemulsion maintenance immunosuppression. METHODS AND FINDINGS ATHENA, a pragmatic, prospective, multicenter trial conducted by 6 Italian transplant centers, compared the outcomes of 233 consenting recipients of a first deceased donor kidney transplant induced with low-dose thymoglobulin and basiliximab and randomized to MMF (750 mg twice/day, n = 119) or AZA (75 to 125 mg/day, n = 114) added-on maintenance low-dose CsA microemulsion and 1-week steroid. In patients without acute clinical or subclinical rejections, CsA dose was progressively halved. Primary endpoint was biopsy-proven CAN. Analysis was by intention to treat. Participants were included between June 2007 and July 2012 and followed up to August 2016. Between-group donor and recipient characteristics, donor/recipient mismatches, and follow-up CsA blood levels were similar. During a median (interquartile range (IQR)) follow-up of 47.7 (44.2 to 48.9) months, 29 of 87 biopsied patients on MMF (33.3%) versus 31 of 88 on AZA (35.2%) developed CAN (hazard ratio (HR) [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 1.147 (0.691 to 1.904, p = 0.595). Twenty and 21 patients on MMF versus 34 and 14 on AZA had clinical [HR (95% CI): 0.58 (0.34 to 1.02); p = 0.057) or biopsy-proven subclinical [HR (95% CI): 1.49 (0.76 to 2.92); p = 0.249] ACR, respectively. Combined events [HR (95% CI): 0.85 (0.56 to 1.29); p = 0.438], patient and graft survival, delayed graft function (DGF), 3-year glomerular filtration rate (GFR) [53.8 (40.6;65.7) versus 49.8 (36.8;62.5) mL/min/1.73 m2, p = 0.50], and adverse events (AEs) were not significantly different between groups. Chronicity scores other than CAN predict long-term graft outcome. Study limitations include small sample size and unblinded design. CONCLUSIONS In this study, we found that in deceased donor kidney transplant recipients on low-dose CsA and no steroids, MMF had no significant benefits over AZA. This finding suggests that AZA, due to its lower costs, could safely replace MMF in combination with minimized immunosuppression. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00494741; EUDRACT 2006-005604-14.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piero Ruggenenti
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Bergamo, Italy
- Unit of Nephrology and Dialysis, ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Paolo Cravedi
- Division of Nephrology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Eliana Gotti
- Unit of Nephrology and Dialysis, ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Annarita Plati
- Unit of Nephrology and Dialysis, ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Maddalena Marasà
- Unit of Nephrology and Dialysis, ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Silvio Sandrini
- Unit of Nephrology, ASST degli Spedali Civili di Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Nicola Bossini
- Unit of Nephrology, ASST degli Spedali Civili di Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Franco Citterio
- Unit of Kidney Transplantation, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Enrico Minetti
- Unit of Nephrology, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milano, Italy
| | - Domenico Montanaro
- SOC di Nefrologia, Dialisi e Trapianto Renale della Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria “S. Maria della Misericordia,” Udine, Italy
| | - Ettore Sabadini
- Unit of Nephrology and Dialysis, ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Regina Tardanico
- Unit of Nephrology, ASST degli Spedali Civili di Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Davide Martinetti
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Flavio Gaspari
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Alessandro Villa
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Annalisa Perna
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Francesco Peraro
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Remuzzi
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Bergamo, Italy
- * E-mail:
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Casiraghi F, Perico N, Gotti E, Todeschini M, Mister M, Cortinovis M, Portalupi V, Plati AR, Gaspari F, Villa A, Introna M, Longhi E, Remuzzi G. Kidney transplant tolerance associated with remote autologous mesenchymal stromal cell administration. Stem Cells Transl Med 2019; 9:427-432. [PMID: 31872574 PMCID: PMC7103624 DOI: 10.1002/sctm.19-0185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Here we report the case of successful immune tolerance induction in a living‐donor kidney transplant recipient remotely treated with autologous bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC). This case report, which to the best of our knowledge is the first in the world in this setting, provides evidence that the modulation of the host immune system with MSC can enable the safe withdrawal of maintenance immunosuppressive drugs while preserving optimal long‐term kidney allograft function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Norberto Perico
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Eliana Gotti
- Unit of Nephrology and Dialysis, Azienda Socio-Sanitaria Territoriale Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Marta Todeschini
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Marilena Mister
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Monica Cortinovis
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Valentina Portalupi
- Unit of Nephrology and Dialysis, Azienda Socio-Sanitaria Territoriale Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Anna Rita Plati
- Unit of Nephrology and Dialysis, Azienda Socio-Sanitaria Territoriale Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Flavio Gaspari
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Alessandro Villa
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Martino Introna
- G. Lanzani Laboratory of Cell Therapy, Azienda Socio-Sanitaria Territoriale Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Elena Longhi
- Laboratory of Transplant Immunology, UOC Coordinamento Trapianti IRCCS Fondazione Ca' Granda - Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Remuzzi
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Bergamo, Italy.,L. Sacco Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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Casiraghi F, Perico N, Remuzzi G. Mesenchymal stromal cells for tolerance induction in organ transplantation. Hum Immunol 2017; 79:304-313. [PMID: 29288697 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2017.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2017] [Revised: 12/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The primary challenge in organ transplantation continues to be the need to suppress the host immune system long-term to ensure prolonged allograft survival. Long-term non-specific immunosuppression can, however, result in life-threatening complications. Thus, efforts have been pursued to explore novel strategies that would allow minimization of maintenance immunosuppression, eventually leading to transplant tolerance. In this scenario, bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC), given their unique immunomodulatory properties to skew the balance between regulatory and memory T cells, have emerged as potential candidates for cell-based therapy to promote immune tolerance. Here, we review our initial clinical experience with bone marrow-derived MSC in living-donor kidney transplant recipients and provide an overview of the available results of other clinical programs with MSC in kidney and liver transplantation, highlighting hurdles and success of this innovative cell-based therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Norberto Perico
- IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Remuzzi
- IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Bergamo, Italy; Unit of Nephrology and Dialysis, Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale (ASST), Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy; L. Sacco Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
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Spagnoletti G, Salerno MP, Calia R, Romagnoli J, Citterio F. Thymoglobuline plus basiliximab a mixed cocktail to start? Transpl Immunol 2017; 43-44:1-2. [PMID: 28676335 DOI: 10.1016/j.trim.2017.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Accepted: 06/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Recent results reported by Ciancio et al. have demonstrated the long term successful use of dual induction therapy in kidney transplant recipients. Our experience using an "induction cocktail", thymoglobuline plus basiliximab, started in 2007 and we have treated 235 patients through the past 10years. In our population, we used a combination of CNIs and MMF or mTORi as maintenance therapy. Our results in term of patient and graft survival, acute rejection rate, renal function and incidence of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder support the data reported by Ciancio. We believe that double induction therapy allows on one hand to delay the CNIs introduction, reducing delayed graft function, and on the other hand protects the patient while building the targeted drugs exposures, so reducing the incidence of acute rejection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gionata Spagnoletti
- Surgery, Renal Transplant Unit - Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore - Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli", Roma 00168, Italy.
| | - Maria Paola Salerno
- Surgery, Renal Transplant Unit - Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore - Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli", Roma 00168, Italy.
| | - Rosaria Calia
- Surgery, Renal Transplant Unit - Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore - Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli", Roma 00168, Italy.
| | - Jacopo Romagnoli
- Surgery, Renal Transplant Unit - Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore - Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli", Roma 00168, Italy.
| | - Franco Citterio
- Surgery, Renal Transplant Unit - Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore - Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli", Roma 00168, Italy.
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Gentile G, Somma C, Gennarini A, Mastroluca D, Rota G, Lacanna F, Locatelli B, Remuzzi G, Ruggenenti P. Low-dose RATG with or without basiliximab in renal transplantation: a matched-cohort observational study. Am J Nephrol 2015; 41:16-27. [PMID: 25612603 DOI: 10.1159/000371728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2014] [Accepted: 12/18/2014] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS In renal transplantation, peri-operative low-dose rabbit-antithymocyte-globulin (RATG) plus basiliximab induction prevented acute allograft rejection more effectively than post-operative RATG plus basiliximab induction. We investigated the specific antirejection contribution of basiliximab in this context. METHODS This single-center, observational, matched-cohort study evaluated allograft rejections (primary outcome), steroid exposure and side effects, GFR (iohexol plasma clearance) and treatment costs in 16 deceased-donor renal transplant recipients induced with RATG (0.5 mg/kg/day) and 32 age-, gender- and treatment-matched reference-patients given RATG plus basiliximab (20 mg on days 0 and 4). RESULTS Induction was well tolerated. At 18 months, 8 patients (50%) vs. 3 reference-patients (9.4%) rejected the graft [HR (95% CI): 6.53 (1.73-24.70), p = 0.006]. Difference was significant (p < 0.01) even after adjusting for recipient/donor age and gender, cold ischemia time and HLA mismatches. There were 1 antibody-mediated rejection and 2 moderate cellular rejections in patients vs. none in reference-patients (p = 0.032). The median (interquartile range) prednisone cumulative dose was remarkably higher in patients than reference-patients [4.78 (1.12-6.10) vs. 0.19 (0.18-3.81) grams, p = 0.002]. Three patients vs. 24 reference-patients were off-steroid at study end (p < 0.001). Three patients vs. no reference-patient developed new-onset diabetes (p = 0.003). Both inductions similarly depleted B-cells. Outcomes of AZA- vs. MMF-treated participants were similar. GFR was similar in all groups. Compared to MMF, AZA therapy saved ≈ EUR 2,500/year and by month 14.3 post-transplant compensated basiliximab costs. CONCLUSION In renal transplantation, basiliximab plus peri-operative low-dose RATG more efficiently prevented allograft rejection than RATG monotherapy, and minimized steroid exposure and toxicity. AZA- vs MMF-based maintenance immunosuppression largely compensated the extra costs of basiliximab.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Gentile
- IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Clinical Research Center for Rare Diseases 'Aldo e Cele Daccò', Bergamo, Italy
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Valdez-Ortiz R, Bestard O, Llaudó I, Franquesa M, Cerezo G, Torras J, Herrero-Fresneda I, Correa-Rotter R, Grinyó JM. Induction of suppressive allogeneic regulatory T cells via rabbit antithymocyte polyclonal globulin during homeostatic proliferation in rat kidney transplantation. Transpl Int 2014; 28:108-19. [PMID: 25208307 DOI: 10.1111/tri.12448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2014] [Revised: 05/19/2014] [Accepted: 09/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Experimental studies have shown that rabbit antithymocyte polyclonal globulin (ATG) can expand human CD4+CD25++Foxp3+ cells (Tregs). We investigated the major biological effects of a self-manufactured rabbit polyclonal anti-rat thymoglobulin (rATG) in vitro, as well as its effects on different peripheral T-cell subsets. Moreover, we evaluated the allogeneic suppressive capacity of rATG-induced Tregs in an experimental rat renal transplant model. Our results show that rATG has the capacity to induce apoptosis in T lymphocyte lymphocytes as a primary mechanism of T-cell depletion. Our in vivo studies demonstrated a rapid but transient cellular depletion of the main T cell subsets, directly proportional to the rATG dose used, but not of the effector memory T cells, which required significantly higher rATG doses. After rATG administration, we observed a significant proliferation of Tregs in the peripheral blood of transplanted rats, leading to an increase in the Treg/T effector ratio. Importantly, rATG-induced Tregs displayed a strong donor-specific suppressive capacity when assessed in an antigen-specific allogeneic co-culture. All of these results were associated with better renal graft function in rats that received rATG. Our study shows that rATG has the biological capacity immunomodulatory to promote a regulatory alloimmune milieu during post-transplant homeostatic proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Valdez-Ortiz
- Laboratory of Experimental Nephrology, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain; Nephrology Department, Hospital General de México, Mexico City, México; Renal Transplant Unit, Department of Nephrology, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain
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Todeschini M, Cortinovis M, Perico N, Poli F, Innocente A, Cavinato RA, Gotti E, Ruggenenti P, Gaspari F, Noris M, Remuzzi G, Casiraghi F. In Kidney Transplant Patients, Alemtuzumab but Not Basiliximab/Low-Dose Rabbit Anti-Thymocyte Globulin Induces B Cell Depletion and Regeneration, Which Associates with a High Incidence of De Novo Donor-Specific Anti-HLA Antibody Development. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2013; 191:2818-28. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1203261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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Perico N, Casiraghi F, Gotti E, Introna M, Todeschini M, Cavinato RA, Capelli C, Rambaldi A, Cassis P, Rizzo P, Cortinovis M, Noris M, Remuzzi G. Mesenchymal stromal cells and kidney transplantation: pretransplant infusion protects from graft dysfunction while fostering immunoregulation. Transpl Int 2013; 26:867-78. [PMID: 23738760 DOI: 10.1111/tri.12132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2012] [Revised: 01/28/2013] [Accepted: 05/13/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) have emerged as useful cell population for immunomodulation therapy in transplantation. Moving this concept towards clinical application, however, should be critically assessed by a tailor-made step-wise approach. Here, we report results of the second step of the multistep MSC-based clinical protocol in kidney transplantation. We examined in two living-related kidney transplant recipients whether: (i) pre-transplant (DAY-1) infusion of autologous MSC protected from the development of acute graft dysfunction previously reported in patients given MSC post-transplant, (ii) avoiding basiliximab in the induction regimen improved the MSC-induced Treg expansion previously reported with therapy including this anti-CD25-antibody. In patient 3, MSC treatment was uneventful and graft function remained normal during 1 year follow-up. In patient 4, acute cellular rejection occurred 2 weeks post-transplant. Both patients had excellent graft function at the last observation. Circulating memory CD8(+) T cells and donor-specific CD8(+) T-cell cytolytic response were reduced in MSC-treated patients, not in transplant controls not given MSC. CD4(+) FoxP3(+) Treg expansion was comparable in MSC-treated patients with or without basiliximab induction. Thus, pre-transplant MSC no longer negatively affect kidney graft at least to the point of impairing graft function, and maintained MSC-immunomodulatory properties. Induction therapy without basiliximab does not offer any advantage on CD4(+) FoxP3(+) Treg expansion (ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT 00752479).
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Affiliation(s)
- Norberto Perico
- Department of Immunology and Transplantation, Azienda Ospedaliera - IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Bergamo, Italy
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