CareDx presents cell-free DNA biomarker results in heart and kidney transplant recipients

CareDx, Inc, a molecular diagnostics company focused on the development and commercialization of clinically differentiated, non-invasive surveillance solutions for transplant recipients, has announced the results of its cohort studies of blood samples from the multicenter CARGO [Cardiac Allograft Rejection Gene Expression Observational] and CARGO II heart transplant studies, and from the KARGO kidney transplant study, during a presentation at last week’s World Transplant Congress in San Francisco.

In an oral abstract, Robert Woodward, PhD, and co-authors from CareDx demonstrated that graft-derived cfDNA proportion in heart transplant and kidney transplant recipients’ blood is significantly higher in patients who had a biopsy-confirmed rejection compared to that found in transplant recipients who did not have any evidence of rejection at the time of blood sampling. There was a 10-fold median cfDNA proportion increase in the CARGO and 5-fold in the CARGO II heart recipients with biopsy-proven rejection in comparison to the cfDNA levels from patients without rejection. In kidney transplant recipients, the median graft-derived cfDNA was 3-fold higher in the KARGO patients with biopsy-proven rejection compared to the cfDNA levels in blood from kidney recipients without rejection.

“These results represent just the tip of the iceberg of data we expect to emanate from existing CareDx repositories of blood samples and clinical data that will accelerate our understanding and development of graft-derived, cell-free DNA test solutions,” says James Yee, MD, Chief Medical Officer. “CareDx is also starting new, prospective studies applying this promising new molecular biomarker to transplant recipients.” Learn more about scientific articles and studies promoted by CareDx.