Association of Donor Derived Cell-Free DNA Fractions with Acute Rejection and Pulmonary Infections in Lung Transplant Recipients

Purpose: Acute cellular rejection (ACR) and pulmonary infections (PI) predispose to the development of chronic lung allograft dysfunction, the leading cause of late morbidity following lung transplantation. While bronchoscopy is the gold standard for diagnosis of ACR or PI, its invasive nature can cause complications and certain patients are ineligible. Therefore, alternative methods to diagnose and follow response to treatment after ACR or PI are needed. Donor derived cell free DNA (dd-cfDNA) is an established biomarker to detect graft injury, but there is limited data on differences of dd-cfDNA levels during ACR or PI, along with the kinetics following such episodes.
Source: The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation - Category: Transplant Surgery Authors: Source Type: research