Transplant Genomics (TGI) is collaborating with the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine to develop, validate and commercialize diagnostic tests enabling personalized immunosuppression for solid organ transplant recipients.
This multiyear collaboration includes an assessment of TGI’s TruGraf™ test for renal transplant monitoring, a Mayo Clinic investment in TGI, and the co-development of new tests and technologies for additional targets, including exploratory studies in heart and liver transplantation.
Physicians and researchers are participating at Mayo Clinic campuses in Arizona, Florida and Rochester, Minnesota. Principal investigators include: Mark Stegall, M.D., Raymond Heilman, M.D., and Martin Mai, M.D., Mayo Clinic Transplant Center.
"At Mayo, our research in this area is focused on improving long-term kidney graft survival, so that patients would lead healthier lives. Genomic analysis of blood can reveal early signs of rejection in transplanted kidneys.
"The potential clinical utility is to be able to monitor for rejection more frequently than is possible with surveillance biopsies and to individualize immunosuppression in transplant recipients," says Dr. Stegall.
"TruGraf’s ability to detect early transplant rejection in patients with stable kidney transplant function will provide physicians with a tool to help provide the appropriate levels of immunosuppressive therapy.
"Our first collaborative project together is a case study in individualized medicine in which TruGraf will be used to support decisions around personalized immunosuppression," says Roy First, M.D., chief medical officer, Transplant Genomics.