Utilization of a Novel Epigenetic Liquid Biopsy to Noninvasively Identify Acute Cellular Rejection After Lung Transplantation

Project Owner

Mark E. Snyder, MD

Proposed Innovation

Acute cellular rejection (ACR) occurs in up to half of all lung transplant recipients during the first year after transplantation. It can lead to chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD), the leading cause of long-term transplant failure. To detect these conditions, clinicians rely on repeated bronchoscopies with lung biopsies or must wait for changes in lung function that often appear only after significant damage has occurred.

This project will evaluate a novel epigenetic liquid biopsy that analyzes molecular signals in a blood sample to detect acute cellular rejection and predict chronic lung allograft dysfunction. It offers a less invasive approach for monitoring lung transplant recipients and enables earlier detection of rejection.

Improvements in Action

Researchers will collect blood samples from lung transplant recipients before and at multiple time points after transplantation. Using a newly developed epigenetic atlas of the human lung, they will analyze DNA methylation patterns and other molecular signals in circulating cell-free DNA to identify the types of lung and immune cells undergoing injury or death.

The study will evaluate whether these cell-specific patterns can accurately detect acute cellular rejection and identify patients at risk for chronic lung allograft dysfunction before conventional testing detects significant loss of lung function.

Intended Outcomes

If successful, the proposed approach could provide a safer, less invasive method for monitoring lung transplant recipients and help preserve long-term transplant function through earlier treatment.