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| Now, a urine test 'that helps kidney graft' |
| Written by Medianowonline Newsnetwork | |
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Washington, Feb 19 - In what is claimed to be the world's first, scientists have developed a simple urine test to detect kidney transplant rejection. The finding, published in the 'Transplantation' journal, is the result of a seven-year study of New Zealand, Australian and Swiss kidney transplant patients. Once further testing is completed, it should mean the current test, an invasive biopsy procedure, could be replaced with a simple and accurate urine test, Dr Alex McLellan of the University of Otago, who led the study, said.
The main challenge facing transplant physicians is the hosts immune system, which sees the graft as foreign and attacks the transplanted organ. Keeping the transplanted organ alive and functioning in the host requires potent immuno suppressive drugs, which must be taken for the person's life.
Detecting transplant rejection at the earliest possible time is essential to prevent transplant loss as it allows immediate intervention with additional immuno- suppressive drugs, Dr McLellan said.
The newly developed urine test detects one of the molecules (called Major Histocompatibility Complex molecules) that are released from the kidneys into urine during transplant rejection.
In the study, the urine levels of MHC molecules soared during transplant rejection, and could be detected days before confirmation of rejection using the standard biopsy method. They found that these patients who tested positive for MHC in their urine had a greater than 90 per cent chance of suffering transplant rejection.
The kidney biopsy is still the most reliable method to date for diagnosing transplant rejection but is invasive. The urine test is rapid, simple and non-invasive, requiring basic materials to detect a molecule released into urine during transplant rejection, Dr McLellan said.
The scientists hope the test, which is unlikely to become available for some years until further testing on larger groups of kidney transplant patients has been done, will improve diagnostic monitoring during the post-transplant hospitalization of patients.
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