Validating Injury to the Renal Transplant Using Urinary Signatures in Children (VIRTUUS)

Project Summary

Transplant rejection contributes to irreversible damage to the transplanted organ. Sub-clinical detection of transplant rejection (when no definite or readily observable clinical symptoms are present) and detection of other post-transplantation complications using non-invasive means, such as urinary biomarkers, will allow earlier diagnosis of rejection. This approach will ultimately allow less aggressive and earlier intervention, and thus preserve transplant function. The purpose of the study is to investigate whether the existing urinary mRNA and metabolite profiles used for detection of early kidney transplant injury in adults can also predict rejection and other complications of kidney transplantation in children. 

This is a prospective, observational, multicenter, cohort study coordinated at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. BC Children's Hospital is one of the participating research sites, led by Dr. Tom Blydt-Hansen (site investigator). 

For more information, visit ClinicalTrials.gov.

This study is being funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Project Status

Status: Closed
Study Start Date: September 26, 2018
Study End Date: May 31, 2023

Study Enrolment Status: Closed
Start Date: October 2018
End Date: February 2022

Project Team

Principal Investigator

Tom Blydt-Hansen

Research Team Members

Candice Wiedman, Research Assistant

Enrolment Eligibility Criteria
  1. Males or females between 2 to 18 years at the time of recruitment, receiving the first, or additional, kidney transplants.
  2. Parental/guardian permission (informed consent) and, if appropriate, child/adolescent assent can be obtained.

For more information, please email sotresearch@bcchr.ca.

Publications
  1. Kumar, J., Contrepois, K., Snyder, M., Grimm, P. C., Moudgil, A., Smith, J. M., Bobrowski, A. E., Verghese, P. S., Hooper, D., Ingulli, E., Lestz, R., Weng, P., Reason, J. L., Blydt-Hansen, T. D., Suthanthiran, M., Keating, B., & Amaral, S. (2021). Design and Methods of the Validating Injury to the Renal Transplant Using Urinary Signatures (VIRTUUS) Study in Children. Transplantation Direct, 7(12), e791. doi.org/10.1097/TXD.0000000000001244
Acknowledgements

Harry Chae, Worklearn student
David Camarda, Undergraduate student 
Kevin Vytlingam, Undergraduate student 
Bita Ghordani, Undergraduate student 
Kerry Hu, Undergraduate student 
Ibarheem Babar, Undergraduate student 
Jasmine Malhi, Undergraduate student 
Simranpreet Mann, Undergraduate student