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Spatial Transcriptomics in Kidney Transplantation

Conditions
Transplant Complication
Kidney Injury
Interventions
Other: Non interventional
Registration Number
NCT06288425
Lead Sponsor
Western Sydney Local Health District
Brief Summary

The study is an investigator-led, prospective, longitudinal, observational cohort study.

The central hypothesis for this study is that spatial data will reveal new insights to immune cell function and local interactions within the kidney tissue to better predict important clinical outcomes. Investigators aspire to establish a prospective, longitudinal cohort to improve the diagnosis and management of kidney transplant rejection using precision pathology.

By utilising new spatial technologies, the investigators aim to:

* Derive a spatially resolved transcriptomic signature of kidney transplant rejection subtypes

* Derive accurate transcriptomic signatures aligned with key cell types within the transplant kidney

* Develop refinements to histological kidney rejection diagnostic and scoring classification

* Correlate of spatial and refined biopsy scoring features to clinically important outcomes

Detailed Description

Primary outcomes: The correlation of kidney transplant rejection subtypes with transcriptomic, spatial and cell-type features

Secondary outcomes: Correlation of the refined biopsy scoring criteria and transcriptomics signatures with:

1. All cause graft loss

2. Death censored graft loss

3. Treatment resistant rejection

4. Delayed graft function (DGF)

5. Biopsy evidence of borderline rejection based on current Banff scoring system

6. Biopsy proven acute rejection - T-cell mediated (TCMR), antibody-mediated (ABMR), mixed

7. Chronic rejection - acute or inactive

8. Interstitial fibrosis scores (IFTA) on kidney biopsy on any biopsies

9. Chronic transplant glomerulopathy on kidney biopsy on any biopsies

10. Development of BK virus associated nephropathy at any time

11. Recurrent disease (original cause of kidney failure) post transplantation at any time

12. Kidney function with serum creatinine, estimated or measured glomerular filtration rate (GFR)

13. Development of albuminuria

14. Surrogate end-points - eGFR slope and iBOX(TM) score

15. Donor-recipient HLA and non-HLA genomic mismatches

16. Recipient proteinomic expression profile

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
500
Inclusion Criteria

All participants included in the study must be age ≥ 18 years old at time of enrolment and

  1. able to provide informed consent (interpreter permitted) for enrolment
  2. consenting to longitudinal follow up (can withdraw post enrolment)
  3. consenting to provide samples for biobanking, including blood, urine, faecal and/or kidney biopsy tissue (collected prospectively, separate to routine care)
Exclusion Criteria

Patients will be excluded from the study if they are

  1. unable (or unwilling) to provide consent, or
  2. have life-expectancy less than 6-months, or
  3. have received a haematopoietic stem cell transplant in the past 5 years.

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Chronic (active) rejectionNon interventionalBiopsy features of chronic rejection - T-cell, antibody or mixed types
BK virus associated nephropathy (BKVAN)Non interventionalBiopsy features of SV40 positive staining in tubules to diagnose BKVAN
No rejection, normal biopsy (controls)Non interventionalNormal biopsy - no acute tubular injury (ATI), rejection or any other pathology
Acute kidney injury without evidence of rejectionNon interventionalBiopsy features of acute tubular injury but no evidence of rejection
Subclinical RejectionNon interventionalBiopsy features of injury and inflammation but not meeting current diagnostic criteria for acute or chronic rejection
Isolated glomerulitisNon interventionalBiopsy features of inflammation in the glomeruli only
Acute rejectionNon interventionalBiopsy features of T-cell mediated, antibody-mediated, or mixed rejection
Isolated vascular rejectionNon interventionalBiopsy features of inflammation in the blood vessels only
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Kidney biopsy transcriptomic signatureAt biopsy - based on collected tissue sample

Based on bulk and/or spatial transcriptomic experiments

Kidney biopsy featuresAt biopsy or during study follow up following biopsy during study (expected 12-months)

Based on the pathology subtype at original diagnosis

Kidney cell type compositionAt biopsy - based on collected tissue sample

Cell type phenotyping of immune and kidney cell types

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Treatment resistant rejectionAt biopsy or during study follow up after biopsy (expected average 12-months)

Persistent rejection despite additional glucocorticoids and/or upscaling of maintenance immunosuppression

Interstitial fibrosis scores (IFTA)At biopsy or during study follow up after biopsy (expected average 12-months)

features of interstitial fibrosis scores on the biopsy, with or without concurrent inflammation or tubulitis in the scarred areas on biopsy

BK virus associated nephropathyAt biopsy or during study follow up after biopsy (expected average 12-months)

biopsy evidence of positive SV40 stain in tubules

Proteinomic signatureAt biopsy or during study follow up after biopsy (expected average 12-months)

mass spectrometry or spatial proteinomic changes between groups

All cause graft lossAt biopsy or during study follow up after biopsy (expected average over 60-months)

Graft loss - death censored and death with functioning graft

Biopsy proven acute rejectionAt biopsy or during study follow up after biopsy (expected average 12-months)

Based on current Banff scoring system - features of acute rejection, , any subtype

Kidney functionAt biopsy or during study follow up after biopsy (expected average 12-months)

Based on blood creatinine, eGFR

Death censored graft loss (DCGL)At biopsy or during study follow up after biopsy (expected average over 60-months)

Graft loss - excluding cases of death with functioning graft

Delayed graft function (DGF)At biopsy or during study follow up after biopsy (within 7 days of transplantation)

Need for dialysis within 7 days of transplantation

Surrogate end-pointsAt biopsy or during study follow up after biopsy (expected average 12-months)

eGFR slow and iBOX score

Biopsy evidence of borderline rejectionAt biopsy or during study follow up after biopsy (expected average 12-months)

Based on current Banff scoring system - features of inflammation but not meeting acute rejection criteria

Chronic rejectionAt biopsy or during study follow up after biopsy (expected average 12-months)

Based on current Banff scoring system with features of chronic rejection, any subtype

AlbuminuriaAt biopsy or during study follow up after biopsy (expected average 12-months)

Based on urine albumin to creatinine ratio

Donor to recipient mismatchesAt biopsy or during study follow up after biopsy (expected average 12-months)

genomic/molecular level, HLA and non-HLA

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Westmead Hospital

🇦🇺

Westmead, New South Wales, Australia

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