Genetics study to improve organ transplant outcomes

More than 35 research centres in 25 different countries, including Australia, are joining together in a genetics study which aims to improve the success of organ transplants worldwide.

The initiative, called the International Genetics & Translational Research in Transplantation Network (iGeneTRAIN), is analysing the DNA from over 32,000 patients across a dozen countries. The ultimate goal of the initiative is to translate this information into clinical practice and to minimise chronic graft rejection. Key outcomes include:

• making patient-specific recommendations for immunosuppressive drugs;
• minimising drug-induced complications; and
• matching donor-recipient pairs according to biological profiles.

Thousands of organ transplants are performed in Australia every year, but the success rate of these procedures continues to be limited by immunological rejection and other complications. It is the opportunity to solve these issues which has a number of Australian research institutes eager to be involved in iGeneTRAIN, including The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, the Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research, the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the Australian Genome Research Facility.

Researchers say data gathered during the iGeneTRAIN project will likely detect genetic factors, in a donor or recipient, which lead to an acute rejection of a transplant. According to Dr Brendan Keating, from the University of Pennsylvania, “We expect to gain many new insights into the biology of transplant rejection, tolerance and side effects of immunosuppression drugs.

“That should enable us to make better matches of donors and recipients, to treat and monitor patients more effectively after their transplants and ultimately develop better drug dosing to prevent transplant complications and failures.”

For more information on iGeneTRAIN, visit http://igenetrain.org/.