An implantable sensor offered advanced warning of kidney transplant failure in rats numerous weeks earlier compared to generally utilized biomarkers of kidney function, report scientists.
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The device, proven in a rat model of kidney transplantation, offers real-time continuous tracking of organ temperature and thermal conductivity, detecting inflammatory processes linked to graft rejection.
Even though lifesaving for patients with end-stage kidney disease, long-term kidney transplantation survival remains a significant difficulty. Graft failure could happen anytime, and the early stages of kidney transplant rejection could be hard to detect.
Even though organ biopsy is the so-called “gold standard” for diagnosing transplant rejection, it happens rarely and could initiate extra risks and complications. As an alternative, blood and urine biomarkers are frequently utilized to detect rejection.
However, factors irrelevant to kidney function could alter such biomarkers, resulting in a false positive and negative outcome.
To fulfill the requirement for a trustworthy, non-invasive method to track and detect the onset or early stages of rejection, Surabhi Madhvapathy and collaborators developed an implantable bioelectronic device to track the thermal characteristics of the organ.
The ultrathin and stretchable thermal sensor interfaces instantly with the soft surface of the kidney and links to a miniaturized wireless communication module for real-time, long-term, and constant measurements of the local temperature and thermal conductivity of the organ, which were utilized as surrogate markers for kidney inflammation and perfusion.
In model rat studies, such signals determined the onset of rejection ~3 days before clinically appropriate blood biomarkers would, when the animals were not provided immunosuppressive therapy, and ~2 to 3 weeks before clinically relevant blood biomarkers would in immunosuppressed animals.
“Although several hurdles remain to be overcome, the prospect of integrating continuous monitoring into clinical practice could represent a major step toward personalized organ transplant care,” write Mohamad Zaidan and Fadi Lakkis in a related Perspective.
Journal Reference:
Madhvapathy, S. R., et al. (2023) Implantable bioelectronic systems for early detection of kidney transplant rejection. Science. doi.org/10.1126/science.adh7726.