Epitope load identifies kidney transplant recipients at risk of allosensitization following minimization of immunosuppression

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatching and minimization of immunosuppression are two major risk factors for the development of de novo donor-specific antibodies, which are associated with reduced kidney graft survival. Antibodies do not recognize whole HLA antigens but rather individual epitopes, which are short sequences of amino acids in accessible positions. However, compatibility is still assessed by the simple count of mismatched HLA antigens. We hypothesized that the number of mismatched epitopes, or ( “epitope load”) would identify patients at the highest risk of developing donor specific antibodies following minimization of immunosuppression.

Source: Kidney International - March 4, 2019 Category: Urology & Nephrology Authors: Renaud Snanoudj, Nassim Kamar, Elisabeth Cassuto, Sophie Caillard, Marie Metzger, Pierre Merville, Antoine Thierry, Isabelle Jollet, Philippe Grimbert, Dany Anglicheau, Marc Hazzan, Gabriel Choukroun, Bruno Hurault De Ligny, B énedicte Janbon, Vincent Vu Tags: Clinical Investigation Source Type: research