TRANSPLANTATION II - IMMUNE MARKERS OF GRAFT DYSFUNCTION

Background

Graft survival for all solid organ transplantation procedures is restricted by acute and chronic rejections. The solution to this problem is induction of a state of donor-specific tolerance in the patient so rejections will not occur. Current methods of diagnosing allograft dysfunction are inadequate in that significant organ damage occurs prior to the establishment of a clinical diagnosis. Clinical tolerance remains an elusive goal despite success in animal models. One of the main hurdles in developing tolerance strategies is the lack of a clinical biomarker or a "tolerance assay." The development of assays or novel technologies that will enable detection of allograft dysfunction/rejection, monitor responses to therapy, and predict long-term outcomes is vital for the success of transplantation clinical trials.

Objectives

  • Address the validation of histological evidence of graft dysfunction by immunological methods
  • Develop noninvasive techniques that use peripheral blood and urine to establish biomarkers that may be used as surrogate endpoints in transplantation clinical trials
  • Evaluate newer methods of functional prediction by genomic DNA typing

Agenda

Moderators: Manikkam Suthanthirian, M.D., New York Hospital, Cornell Medical Center
Mohamed H. Sayegh, M.D., Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Intragraft Cytokine and Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Gene Expression
Margaret J. Dallman, Ph.D., Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine, United Kingdom

Cytotoxic Lymphocyte Gene Expression Events and Allograft Rejection
Terry Strom, M.D., Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Gene Expression in Urinary Cells During Acute Rejection
Manikkam Suthanthirian, M.D.

Cytokine Gene Polymorphisms
Ian V. Hutchinson, B.Sc., Ph.D., University of Manchester, United Kingdom

Break

Indirect Allorecognition: A Predictor of Chronic Allograft Dysfunction?
Mohamed H. Sayegh, M.D.

Immune Parameters Correlating With Long-Term Graft Outcome
Nancy L. Reinsmoen, Ph.D., Duke University Medical Center

Open Discussion

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