Monitoring of Plasma DNA for the Diagnosis of Rejection and Infection in Organ Transplantation
Event details
| Date | 17.02.2014 |
| Hour | 14:00 |
| Speaker |
Iwijn De Vlaminck, PhD, Department of Bioengineering (Quake Group), Stanford University, Stanford, CA (USA) Bio: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 1998 – 2003 Master in Science and Engineering (Burgerlijk Ingenieur Elektrotechniek), Physics, Nanotechnology, Electronics IMEC, 2003-2008 PhD Optics and mechanics at the nanoscale Metal based optics or plasmonics Nano electromechanical systems (NEMS) TU Delft, 2008 - 2011 Postdoctoral researcher (Cees Dekker Lab) Research in molecular biophysics Stanford University, 2012- present Postdoctoral researcher, HHMI research associate (Stephen Quake Lab) DNA sequencing, single cell genomics and microfluidics Development of DNA-sequencing-based methods for universal and non-invasive diagnosis of both rejection and infection in solid-organ transplant recipients DNA-sequencing-based detection of viral, fungal and bacterial infections |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
Abstract:
Accurate and timely diagnosis of infection and allograft rejection is essential for long-term survival of solid-organ transplant recipients. We hypothesized that genomic analyses of non-cellular DNA circulating in blood could simultaneously offer a window into the health of the transplant organ and the occurrence of viral and bacterial infections. We collected plasma samples from a large group of lung and heart transplant recipients and purified and sequenced the circulating cell-free DNA. We found that the majority of sequences match the transplant recipient’s genome but sequences derived from the transplant donor and from a large variety of viruses, bacteria and fungi were also identified. Donor-derived DNA is likely released in the blood circulation upon graft tissue damage and we found that the fraction of donor-derived DNA is an informative marker of transplant rejection in both lung and heart transplantation. We observed that the composition of viral sequences on the other hand is highly dynamic and strongly affected by immunosuppressive and antiviral drugs. Overall, the data provide insight into the relationship between infections, the state of the immune system, and the effects of pharmacological treatment.
Accurate and timely diagnosis of infection and allograft rejection is essential for long-term survival of solid-organ transplant recipients. We hypothesized that genomic analyses of non-cellular DNA circulating in blood could simultaneously offer a window into the health of the transplant organ and the occurrence of viral and bacterial infections. We collected plasma samples from a large group of lung and heart transplant recipients and purified and sequenced the circulating cell-free DNA. We found that the majority of sequences match the transplant recipient’s genome but sequences derived from the transplant donor and from a large variety of viruses, bacteria and fungi were also identified. Donor-derived DNA is likely released in the blood circulation upon graft tissue damage and we found that the fraction of donor-derived DNA is an informative marker of transplant rejection in both lung and heart transplantation. We observed that the composition of viral sequences on the other hand is highly dynamic and strongly affected by immunosuppressive and antiviral drugs. Overall, the data provide insight into the relationship between infections, the state of the immune system, and the effects of pharmacological treatment.
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Practical information
- Informed public
- Free
Organizer
- Prof. Melody Swartz