Global and CMV-specific Immune Assays to Predict Clinical Outcomes and Inform Clinical Practice in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients
Year: 2016
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Solid organ transplantation is an effective procedure for the treatment of end-stage organ failure. However, transplantation can be limited by imprecise immunosuppression and thereby, susceptibility to infections. Assays that measure immune function by quantifying release of cytokines following stimulation of immune cells have shown some predicative value for the development of infections in immunocompromised individuals. This thesis investigates the predictive value, feasibility and clinical benefit of using immune assays in the context of solid organ transplantation. We demonstrated that a newly developed global (innate and adaptive) cell-mediated immune assay called QuantiFERON-Monitor had the ability to quantify the degree of immunosuppression and predict susceptibility of transplant recipients for developing infections. Furthermore, we showed that a cytomegalovirus(CMV)-specific immune assay called QuantiFERON-CMV could predict which patients were susceptible for developing recurrent CMV infections. Finally, we demonstrated that CMV-specific cell-mediated immunity as measured by QuantiFERON-CMV was both feasible and useful in personalizing CMV prophylaxis.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: M. Firoz Mian
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2895997174