Imagine a simple urine test having to the potency to determine the success or otherwise of a kidney transplant.
Researchers in New York claim that a urine test called the “three-gene signature” of the health of transplanted kidney organs, can ascertain whether the recipient of a transplanted kidney has responded well or is in the process of rejecting the donated organ.
Measurement of Genetic Molecules
The said test would also enable doctors identify patients who are at a higher risk of rejecting the organ well before the symptoms surface.
Dr. Manikkam Suthanthiran, the Stanton Griffis Distinguished Professor of Medicine and lead author of the study said that probability of rejection of kidney transplants can be accurately diagnosed merely by measuring three genetic molecules in the urine sample.
“It looks to us that we can actually anticipate rejection of a kidney several weeks before rejection begins to damage the transplant. It looks to us that we can actually anticipate rejection of a kidney several weeks before rejection begins to damage the transplant,” Dr. Suthanthiran said.
paves Way for Future Medication
The ground breaking test may also alter the way medication is prescribed to the kidney patients. Doctors will be able to adjust the quantum of powerful immunosuppressive drugs that organ transplant patients have to take for a lifetime.
Deciding the right amount of immunosuppression drugs is critical for the success of the organ transplant. Paucity of such drugs can lead to the rejection of the donate Dorgan while excess of such drugs can lead to serious medical conditions like cancer.
“We have, for the first time, the opportunity to manage transplant patients in a more precise, individualized fashion. This is good news since it moves us from the current one-size-fits-all treatment model to a much more personalized plan,” claimed Dr. Suthanthiran.
“The development of a noninvasive test to monitor kidney transplant rejection status is an important advance that will allow doctors to intervene early to prevent rejection and the kidney injury it causes, which should improve long-term outcomes for transplant recipients,” said National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony S. Fauci.
The study has been published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)
