Transplant Genomics: Tools for Transplant Success
The OTS meeting that was held on Friday, April 1, 2022, offered information about a new non-invasive test to check for rejection in kidney transplant recipients. The topic for this meeting was a program from EurofinsTransplant Genomics, a leading medical diagnostic company for organ transplant medicine. The speakers were Mr. Angel Arroyo, the Regional Transplant Manager for Eurofins Transplant Genomics, and Dr. Tim Cober, a pharmacist and a Medical Science Liaison for Eurofins Transplant Genomics. We also heard from Wendy Freeman, who is a kidney transplant recipient and also an OmniGraf patient.
In the slide presentation Dr. Cober explained the two different types of rejection for organ transplant recipients, acute rejection, and silent rejection. Silent rejection, or subclinical acute rejection, is the very earliest form of rejection, and this type is not detected by routine lab tests. For a kidney transplant patient with silent rejection the patient might not even see any change in the blood serum creatinine level until the patient moves into acute rejection. The patient might feel good, but something is going on behind the scenes even before the creatine level changes.
Silent rejection is common with organ transplant patients, occurring in at least 35% of organ transplant recipients in the first 2 years after a transplant. Most kidney transplant recipients are not aware they are in rejection until their creatinine level changes, when they are in acute rejection. It has been the goal of researchers for years to find ways to detect rejection in the earliest stage. The earlier that silent rejection can be identified the sooner that patients can get treated and get back to healthy living.
Until now the only way that rejection can be identified in an organ transplant recipient is by a biopsy, which is invasive and can be difficult. However now there is the OmniGraf test. This is the very first non-invasive blood test that can check for rejection in kidney transplant recipients.
OmniGraf is a panel of two genetic biomarker tests, which look at 120 genes that increase or decrease to correspond with a patient’s immune system response. When these two tests are analyzed together, they give a very accurate picture of the kidney’s overall health. With OmniGraf, these two genetic biomarkers combined assess both subclinical (silent) and clinical acute rejection.
The OmniGraf test is now being used for kidney transplant patients, but there are plans in the future to offer a blood test to test for rejection in liver transplant patients also.
To learn more about Eurofins Transplant Genomics or the OmniGraf test, here are two websites: www.transplantgenomics.com, and www.getaheadofrejection.com.
It was exciting news for all of us at the OTS meeting to learn that there is a blood test that can check for rejection in kidney transplant patients. There are amazing advances for all organ transplant recipients in the future! Organ Transplant Support sincerely thanks Mr. Arroyo, Dr. Cober and Wendy Freeman for this fascinating presentation at the OTS meeting on April 1.