A personalised delisting strategy enables successful kidney transplantation in highly sensitised patients with preformed donor‐specific anti HLA antibodies

Abstract

This study investigates kidney transplant outcomes in highly sensitised patients after implementing a delisting strategy aimed at enabling transplantation despite preformed donor‐specific antibodies (preDSA), with the goal of reducing acute antibody‐mediated rejection (aAMR) risk. Fifty‐three sensitised recipients underwent kidney transplant after delisting prohibited HLA antigens, focusing initially in low MFI antibodies (<5000), except for anti‐HLA‐DQ. If insufficient, higher MFI antibodies were permitted, especially for those without an immunogenic eplet pattern assigned. Delisting of Complement‐fixing antibodies (C1q+) was consistently avoided. Comparison cohorts included 53 sensitised recipients without DSA (SwoDSA) and 53 non‐sensitised (NS). The average waiting time prior to delisting was 4.4 ± 1.8 years, with a reduction in cPRA from 99.7 ± 0.5 to 98.1 ± 0.7, followed by transplantation within 7.2 ± 8.0 months (analysed in 34 patients). Rejection rates were similar among preDSA, SwoDSA, and NS groups (16%, 8%, and 11%, respectively; p = 0.46). However, aAMR was higher in the preDSA group (12%, 4%, and 2%, respectively; p = 0.073), only presented in recipients with DSA of MFI >5000. The highest MFI DSA were against HLA‐DP (Median: 10796 MFI), with 50% of preDSA aAMR cases due to anti‐DP antibodies (n = 3). Graft survival rates at 1 and 5 years in preDSA group were 94%, and 67%, comparable to SwoDSA (94%, and 70%; p = 0.69), being significantly higher in the NS group (p = 0.002). The five‐year recipient survival rate was 89%, comparable to SwoDSA and NS groups (p = 0.79). A delisting strategy enables safe kidney transplant in highly sensitised patients with preDSA, with a slight increase in aAMR and comparable graft and patient survivals to non‐DSA cohorts.