ANAHEIM, CA (UroToday.com) - Dr. Veale from the UCLA group reported on the new biomarker granzyme B, which is release by T-lymphocytes into the serum during rejection. Sixteen patients had biopsy proven allograft rejection and elevated granzyme B (>140) while there were 30 patients with low granzyme B (<140) and clinically well-functioning allografts, one of which developed rejection within the two-year follow-up. Kaplan-Meier curves showed that patients with low levels of granzyme B had a 26.7 fold lower risk of rejection than patients with elevated granzyme B expression. Granzyme B gene expression was shown to have a sensitivity rate of 84.4% in classifying patients according to their rejection status and a specificity of 95%. The authors should be commended for this valuable research work. Indeed, accurate diagnosis of rejection episodes in patients following stem cell or solid organ transplant is critical for clinical management. The ability of granzyme B expression to “predict” acute rejection following allogeneic transplant may be useful as a diagnostic marker in transplant rejection. This will add to the improved patient monitoring following transplantation and allow enhanced implementation of rescue therapies for improved patient outcome.

( ABST [1816] - Renal Transplantation and Vascular Surgery I)

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