This is an open label, single-center, randomized phase IV pilot study of steroid and calcineurin inhibitor avoidance in renal transplant recipients. All patients will receive two doses of alemtuzumab to achieve peripheral T-cell depletion. Intravenous glucocorticoids will be administered prior to alemtuzumab administration to limit cytokine release syndrome in association with this monoclonal antibody, and continued for the first two days post-transplant. Thereafter, steroids will not be used for immunosuppression. All transplant recipients will be started on oral immunosuppressive therapy with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) prior to transplant. Pretransplant, these patients will be randomized to receive, in addition, either tacrolimus (Tac) or sirolimus. After six months, patients in the tacrolimus arm who do not experience rejection will be randomized to continue on tacrolimus or to be converted to the combination of sirolimus and MMF. Individuals in this arm of the study who do not experience acute rejection, and demonstrate evidence of donor specific hyporesponsiveness at 9 months post-transplant (those staying on Tac + MMF) or 3 months post-conversion (those converted from Tac + MMF to sirolimus + MMF) will be weaned to MMF monotherapy. Individuals in the sirolimus + MMF arm who do not experience acute rejection and demonstrate evidence of donor specific hyporesponsiveness at 6 months post-transplant will be weaned to MMF monotherapy.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
40
Tacrolimus (TAC) will be given standard of care by prescription twice a day (2.0 mg), orally. Doses will be adjusted by serum levels. The dose will be modified to achieve 12 hour trough concentrations of 5-8 ng/mL.
Sirolimus will be given standard of care by prescription, dosed at 5mg daily. The dosage will be adjusted by serum level to achieve 24 hour trough concentrations of 8-12 ng/mL by HPLC assay.
Patients receiving alemtuzumab will be premedicated with 50mg of diphenhydramine hydrochloride, and 650mg of acetaminophen 30-60 minutes to the first Alemtuzumab infusion. The of 30mg will be diluted in 100cc sterile 0.9% normal saline and infused over 2 hours. The infusion line must contain an in-line 0.22-micron filter. Alemtuzumab will be administered on the day of transplant (intraoperatively), and on post-operative day 2. Both doses will be administered while the patient is in the hospital. Alemtuzumab is supplied in single-use clear glass ampoules containing 30mg of alemtuzumab in 3mL of solution.
MMF will be given at 1.0-1.5gm, twice daily, orally. The first dose will be given pre-transplant, open label fashion.
Northwestern University/Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Chicago, Illinois, United States
The Incidence of Biopsy-proven Acute Allograft Rejection During the First 12 Months of Transplant.
The incidence of rejection is determined by the proportion of patients experiencing biopsy proven acute allograft rejection during the first 12 months post-transplant.
Time frame: Within 12 months post kidney transplant
Severity of Acute Rejection During the First 6 and 12 Months Post-transplant
The diagnosis of rejection will be based on clinical symptoms and signs, laboratory tests, and confirmed by core renal allograft biopsy.
Time frame: Months 6-12 post-transplant
Renal Function at 12 Months Post-transplant
Laboratory tests for renal function include creatinine or iothalamate glomerular filtration rate (GFR).
Time frame: At 12 months post-transplant
Incidence of Donor Specific Hyporesponsiveness Allowing for the Conversion to Monotherapy
The proportion of subjects for both groups determine this measure: 1) Patients in tacrolimus arm who do not experience acute rejection and demonstrate evidence of donor specific hyporesonsiveness at 9 months post-transplant (those staying on TAC+MMF) or 3 months post-convertion (converted from TAC+MMF to Sirolimus+MMF) will be weaned to MMF monotherapy; 2) Those in the sirolimus+MMF arm who do not experience acute rejection and demonstrate evidence of donor specific hyporesponsiveness at 6 months post-transplant will be weaned to MMF monotherapy.
Time frame: At 6 & 9 months post-transplant
Patient and Graft Survival Rates at 6 and 12 Months Post-transplant
Time frame: At 6 & 12 months post-transplant
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