Kidney transplantation is the best renal-replacement in the setting of end-stage renal disease. However, some transplant candidates have developed anti-HLA alloantibodies (human leukocyte antigen). When they are numerous and when their strength assessed by mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) is high it is very complicated to find-out a suitable kidney allograft against which the recipient has a negative cross-match. In such a case the only hope for the patient is desensitization therapy, whereby the treatment will decrease anti-HLA alloantibodies below a threshold, i.e. MFI \< 3,000, enabling kidney transplantation without risking antibody-mediated rejection. Desensitization relies on i) apheresis technics in order to withdraw circulating anti-HLA antibodies, and ii) immunosuppression, i.e. rituximab or tocilizumab, targeting B-lymphocytes, and tacrolimus/mycophenolic acid/steroids targeting T-cells. The type of apheresis is guided by the pre-desensitization MFI of anti-HLA alloantibodies, e.g. double filtration plasmapheresis or semispecific immunoadsorption. Likely the choice between rituximab and tocilizumab depends also on predesensitization anti-HLA antibody MFIs. At the end of the desensitization process, the patient will be able to get a kidney transplant either from a live-donor or from a deceased donor.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
8
every 4 weeks, up to 5 visits (D-170, D-142, D-114, D-86, D-58).
Rituximab 375 mg/m2 at Day-30
Rituximab 375 mg/m2 at Day-15
TRANSPLANTATION
Grenoble Alpes University Hospital
La Tronche, France
Description of the results of the strategy of desensitization in patients who will access to kidney transplantation from deceased or living donors.
Decrease of MFI for highest donor-specific alloantibody (DSA) between start and end of desensitization for every patient in each category
Time frame: at day 1 start of desensitization, at day 0 of Graft
Desensitization efficacy with regards to DSA decrease and kidney transplantation
MFI for highest DSAs for each group
Time frame: Day-198, at day-30 Graft, at day-15, at day0 of Graft,
impairment of DSA synthesis
Decrease in peripheral plasma cells and plasmablasts of \>50%
Time frame: Day-198, at day-30 Graft, at day-15, at day0 of Graft,
Impairment of immune response
Decrease in complement factors of \>25%
Time frame: Day-198, at day-30 Graft, at day-15, at day0 of Graft,
Incidence of treatment desensitization protocols, emergent adverse events (safety and Tolerability)
Emergent adverse events to the desensitization therapy will be carefully monitored during the treatment period and within the following three months.
Time frame: Day-198, at day-30 Graft, at day-15
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