98%
921
2 minutes
20
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMc2409970 | DOI Listing |
Transpl Int
May 2025
Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Department of Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) remains a major challenge in clinical transplantation. Current therapies have yielded inconsistent outcomes, highlighting the need for innovative approaches. CD38, a multifunctional glycoprotein, is highly expressed on plasma cells and natural killer (NK) cells, potentially offering a dual mechanism of action that could intervene in the pathophysiologic course of AMR: depleting alloantibody-producing plasma cells and NK cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNephrol Dial Transplant
August 2025
Department of Nephrology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) remains a major cause of graft failure, with significant health and economic burden. Despite being recognized >25 years ago, AMR treatment remains unstandardized, and no therapy has gained robust regulatory approval. While uncontrolled series have shown promise, few well-designed trials exist, with most yielding negative results.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Med
May 2025
Alberta Transplant Applied Genomics Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
A recent randomized controlled trial demonstrated that treatment with anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody felzartamab suppressed antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) in kidney transplant patients but with recurrence after treatment in some patients. Here we examined the molecular effects of 6 months of felzartamab treatment on biopsies from the trial using genome-wide microarray analysis, comparing pretreatment, end-of-treatment (week 24) and posttreatment (week 52) biopsies from ten patients treated with felzartamab and ten patients in the placebo group. Felzartamab reduced molecular ABMR activity scores in all nine patients with baseline ABMR activity, selectively suppressing interferon gamma-inducible and natural killer cell transcripts, with minimal effect on ABMR stage-related endothelial transcripts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Transplant
July 2025
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Microvascular inflammation (MVI) is a key histological feature of immune-mediated injury at the capillary interface of renal allografts, characterized by immune cell infiltration into glomerular and peritubular capillaries. Although traditionally associated with antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), many MVI cases lack detectable donor-specific antibodies (DSA), suggesting the involvement of antibody-independent immune mechanisms or alternative triggers, such as viral infections or ischemia-reperfusion injury. The Banff 2022 scheme introduced a subcategory, "MVI, DSA-negative, C4d-negative," within an overarching AMR or MVI category.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExpert Opin Investig Drugs
May 2025
Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Introduction: Felzartamab is a novel, fully human CD38 monoclonal antibody, currently in development for the treatment of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) following kidney transplantation.
Areas Covered: This review focuses on current phase II trials of felzartamab in AMR and other immune-mediated kidney diseases. Specifically, it discusses the drug's mechanism of action, current phase of clinical development, potential future applications and regulatory status.