Monitoring OrgAn Transplant (MOAT)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Monitoring OrgAn Transplant (MOAT): Non-invasive tracking in heart, lung and kidney patients using donor derived cell-free donor DNA
IRAS ID
188602
Contact name
Matthew Fenton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Great Ormond Street for Children NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
After a transplant the only way of making sure a transplanted organ is healthy is to remove a small piece of tissue (a biopsy) at operation. This is unpleasant and can be dangerous.
We know that when organs are damaged they release DNA (their genetic code). As the DNA from the donor is different from the recipient’s, we think it may be possible to monitor the health of the transplanted organ by monitoring the level of donor DNA in the recipient’s blood.
In this study, we plan to develop the ways to measure the levels of donor DNA in the recipients’ blood.
We envisage that by using this technique we can check for organ damage without solid organ transplant recipients requiring a biopsy. An organ transplant does not last a lifetime, but at the moment we lack ways to detect damage. We hope that this technique will enable us to detect changes earlier and improve outcomes.
We care for many transplant patients. We also have the relevant laboratory expertise as our scientists have used similar approaches to analyse the very small quantities of babies DNA in mothers’ blood to develop highly accurate tests to diagnose genetic conditions in the unborn child.
If we are successful, this technique could revolutionise transplant medicine. We can’t check the transplanted organ often enough because biopsies are unpleasant and dangerous, and because we can’t detect the damage it causes the transplanted organ to fail. We hope that more frequent and safer monitoring using this new method and adjustment of medication as a response, will reduce the damage and improve quality and longevity of life following transplantation. This technique could be used in all solid organ transplant patients of any age and stands to benefit all transplant patients in the wider UK population and perhaps beyond.
REC name
London - Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/0319
Date of REC Opinion
24 Apr 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion