Patterns in Tacrolimus Variability and Association with De Novo Donor-Specific Antibody Formation in Pediatric Kidney Transplant Recipients

BK polyomavirus DNAemia, allograft rejection, and de novo donor-specific antibodies after lowering target tacrolimus levels in pediatric kidney transplant recipients

BACKGROUND

BK polyomavirus (BKV) DNAemia is a challenging infectious complication after kidney transplant (KT). Reduction of immunosuppression is the mainstay of management, and tacrolimus is often the first immunosuppressive medication adjusted upon the diagnosis of BKV DNAemia. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a new institutional protocol with lower target tacrolimus levels on BKV DNAemia, allograft rejection, and de novo donor-specific antibodies (dnDSA) among pediatric KT recipients.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective chart review of all KT episodes between January 2013 and December 2018. The new protocol with lower target tacrolimus levels was implemented in March 2015. One hundred twenty-seven patients were included in primary analysis. All patients received induction with basiliximab and methylprednisolone and were maintained on a steroid-based immunosuppressive regimen.

RESULTS

In the post-intervention cohort, cumulative incidence of BKV DNAemia at 100 days (13.4% vs. 17.8%, p = .605) and 18 months post-KT (34.1% vs. 26.7%, p = .504) was not significantly different from the pre-intervention cohort. Biopsy-proven rejection rate did not change. However, we observed a trend toward earlier development of dnDSA in the post-intervention cohort using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis (log-rank p = .06). Younger recipient age at the time of transplant was found to slightly increase the risk of BKV DNAemia (OR: 1.09, 95% CI [1.01, 1.16], p = .024). There was an association between BKV DNAemia and biopsy-proven rejection of any type (adjustedOR: 2.77, 95% CI [1.26, 6.23], p = .012), especially acute T-cell-mediated rejection grade 1A and above (adjustedOR: 2.95, 95% CI [1.06, 8.30], p = .037), after adjusted for recipient age at the time of transplant.

CONCLUSIONS

Targeting lower tacrolimus levels did not decrease the incidence of BKV DNAemia within 100 days or 18 months post-KT, nor did it increase the risk of biopsy-proven rejection among pediatric KT recipients in our center. However, there was a trend toward earlier development of dnDSA, which may portend worse long-term graft outcome post-KT. Our findings highlight the need for individualized immunosuppressive regimens based on immunologic and infectious risk factors and the importance of implementing innovative biomarkers to guide therapy and improve outcomes.

Impact of intra-patient variability of tacrolimus on allograft function and CD4 + /CD8 + ratio in kidney transplant recipients: a retrospective single-center study

BACKGROUND

Tacrolimus is a critical component of immunosuppressive therapy for kidney transplant recipients. Intra-patient variation (IPV) of tacrolimus levels affects the function of transplanted kidney.

AIM

This study aimed to investigate the impact of tacrolimus IPV on kidney function, examine its association with post-transplant duration, and assess its effect on the immune status of transplant recipients.

METHOD

This retrospective study was conducted from January 2016 to February 2022. IPV was evaluated using the coefficient of variation (CV) of tacrolimus trough levels from 6 to 48 months after transplantation. Patients were divided into low- and high-IPV groups based on the median CV. Significant differences in kidney function, CD4 + /CD8 + ratio, and post-transplant duration between these groups were analyzed.

RESULTS

Among 189 patients, tacrolimus IPV showed a strong correlation with serum creatinine clearance rate (Ccr) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (p < 0.05). Tacrolimus IPV was significantly correlated with post-transplant duration in only two patients (p < 0.05). Using a median CV of 15.4% to categorize patients, the high IPV group, compared to the low IPV group, exhibited significantly higher eGFR at 6-9 months (p < 0.05), lower Ccr at 9-12 months (p < 0.05), and reduced Ccr and eGFR at 15-18 months (p < 0.05). Six months after transplantation, the high IPV group had a significantly lower CD4 + /CD8 + ratio than the low IPV group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the significant impact of tacrolimus IPV on transplant kidney function and immune status in transplant patients at various post-transplantation intervals.

HLA (emphasis on DQ) compatibility for longer allograft survival in pediatric transplantation: Modern evidence and challenges

Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for children with end-stage kidney failure, yet suboptimal outcomes, the need for long-term immunosuppression, and the dependency on consecutive transplants pose significant barriers to success. Providing better HLA-matched organs to pediatric patients seems to be the most logical approach to improve graft and patient outcomes and to reduce risk of anti-HLA sensitization after graft failure. We here review recent literature on HLA matching in pediatric kidney transplantation. We further review newer approaches attempting to improve matching by using molecular mismatch load analysis. Our main focus is on the role of HLA-DQ compatibility between recipient and donor. We further emphasize the need to develop creative approaches that will support HLA (and DQ) matching utilization in organ allocation schemes, at least in those geared specifically for pediatric patients.

Biomarkers of alloimmune events in pediatric kidney transplantation

Alloimmune events such as the development of de novo donor-specific antibody (dnDSA), T cell-mediated rejection (TCMR), and antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) are the primary contributors to kidney transplant failure in children. For decades, a creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) has been the non-invasive gold standard biomarker for detecting clinically significant alloimmune events, but it suffers from low sensitivity and specificity, especially in smaller children and older allografts. Many clinically "stable" children (based on creatinine) will have alloimmune events known as "subclinical acute rejection" (based on biopsy) that merely reflect the inadequacy of creatinine-based estimates for alloimmune injury rather than a distinct phenotype from clinical rejection with allograft dysfunction. The poor biomarker performance of creatinine leads to many unnecessary surveillance and for-cause biopsies that could be avoided by integrating non-invasive biomarkers with superior sensitivity and specificity into current clinical paradigms. In this review article, we will present and appraise the current state-of-the-art in monitoring for alloimmune events in pediatric kidney transplantation. We will first discuss the current clinical standards for assessing the presence of alloimmune injury and predicting long-term outcomes. We will review principles of biomarker medicine and the application of comprehensive metrics to assess the performance of a given biomarker against the current gold standard. We will then highlight novel blood- and urine-based biomarkers (with special emphasis on pediatric biomarker studies) that have shown superior diagnostic and prognostic performance to the current clinical standards including creatinine-based eGFR. Finally, we will review some of the barriers to translating this research and implementing emerging biomarkers into common clinical practice, and present a transformative approach to using multiple biomarker platforms at different times to optimize the detection and management of critical alloimmune events in pediatric kidney transplant recipients.