Complement-activating Anti-human Leucocyte Antigen Donor Specific Antibodies in Solid Organ Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND:

Organ transplantation has emerged as the treatment of choice for patients with end-stage chronic disease, which is an increasing burden in industrialized and newly-industrializing societies. For example, the global burden of end-stage renal disease in 2017 is estimated to be 3,900,000 with an ~6% growth rate, which is significantly greater than world population growth. Today, over one million people worldwide live with organ transplants, and another 120,000 organs transplanted each year.

Despite progress in transplantation, allograft rejection remains a major threat to allograft health, with thousands of allografts failing every year worldwide due to organ rejection. Failed allografts create immediate and severe consequences for patients in terms of mortality and morbidity, while generating billions in extra costs to health care systems.

One of the most important advances in transplant medicine was the recognition that anti-human lymphocyte antigen (anti-HLA) antibodies are destructive. Recently, lots of studies recognized the capacity of anti-HLA antibodies to activate complement and determined that complement activation magnifies the cytotoxic potential of these antibodies. Over the last decade, studies have reported that complement-activation is highly associated with allograft rejection and failure, with varying magnitudes of effect. In addition, more recent studies have suggested that beyond kidney allografts, these antibodies could have a broad universal deleterious effect in other solid organ transplants such a heart, liver and lung allografts.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: