New Data Support Earlier Suggested Guidance for Levels of Cell-Mediated Immunity in Pediatric Liver Transplan...( Cylex's ImmuKnow(R) assay suggests c...),Health

Cylex's ImmuKnow(R) assay suggests clinical potential in independent study

of pediatric liver transplant patients

COLUMBIA, Md., Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Israeli et al.,* in an article just published in the peer-reviewed journal Liver Transplantation, have further developed our understanding of the clinical potential of monitoring cell- mediated immunity in pediatric liver-transplant patients post-transplantation.

Working in a cooperative group involving several institutions in Petach- Tikva and Tel Aviv in Israel, Israeli and his colleagues focused on the use of the Cylex ImmuKnow assay to monitor cell-mediated immunity post-transplant in pediatric patients between 1 and 18 years of age who had undergone liver transplantation.

In adult transplant patients, cell-mediated immunity as measured using the ImmuKnow assay is classified into three categories, as defined in the product's package insert. However, a prior study in pediatric renal transplant patients reported that ATP levels defining equivalent categories among these pediatric patients were significantly lower than among comparable adult patients, and recommended the following pediatric categories:

-- a pediatric "low" of <175 ng ATP/mL

-- a pediatric "moderate" of between 175 and 395 ng ATP/mL

-- a pediatric "strong" of >395 ng ATP/mL

Data from the study by Israeli et al. support these lower categories for cell-mediated immunity in pediatric transplant patients, and in liver transplant patients in particular:

-- The median ATP level in this group of 28 samples from pediatric liver transplant patients was 300 +/- 102 ng/mL.

-- Half of the patient assays (between the 25th and 75th percentiles) were found to be between 251 and 387 ng ATP/mL.

-- There was no significant difference between the immune function of stable pediatric liver transplant patients who were <12 years of age as opposed to those >12 years of age.
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