Antibody mediated kidney rejection

Antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) is the leading cause of kidney allograft loss. We investigated whether the addition of gene expression measurements to conventional methods could serve as a molecular microscope to identify kidneys with ABMR that are at high risk for failure. We studied 939 consecutive kidney recipients at Necker Hospital (2004-2010; principal cohort) and 321 kidney recipients at Saint Louis Hospital (2006-2010; validation cohort) and assessed patients with ABMR in the first 1 year post-transplant...

Transplant glomerulopathy (TG) is a major cause of chronic graft dysfunction without effective therapy. Although the histological definition of TG is well characterized, the pathophysiological pathways leading to TG development are still poorly understood. Electron microscopy suggests an earlier appearance of TG and suggests that endothelial cell injury is the first sign of the disease. The pathogenic role of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies in endothelial cells has been described in acute vascular and humoral rejection...

The treatment for chronic active antibody-mediated rejection (CAMR) remains controversial. We investigated the efficacy of rituximab (RTX) and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) for CAMR. Eighteen patients with CAMR were treated with RTX (375 mg/m(2)) and IVIg (0.4 g/kg) for 4 days. The efficacy of RTX/IVIg combination therapy (RIT) was assessed by decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate per month (ΔeGFR) before and after RIT. Patients were divided into responder and nonresponder groups based on decrease and no decrease in ΔeGFR, respectively, and their clinical and histological characteristics were compared...

Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), also known as B-cell-mediated or humoral rejection, is a significant complication after kidney transplantation that carries a poor prognosis. Although fewer than 10% of kidney transplant patients experience AMR, as many as 30% of these patients experience graft loss as a consequence. Although AMR is mediated by antibodies against an allograft and results in histologic changes in allograft vasculature that differ from cellular rejection, it has not been recognized as a separate disease process until recently...