A biomarker of aging as a predictor of kidney transplant function

ABSTRACT The number of kidney transplant candidates on the waiting list continues to increase each year, while the number of kidney donations remains stagnant. The enduring donor shortage compels clinicians to use kidneys from marginal donors, referred toas expanded criteria donors (ECD). ECD kidneys, obtained primarily from older donors, have a higher risk of delayed graft function and graft loss. While ECD kidneys are thought to carry increased risks, retrospective studies suggest that the existing system to evaluate kidney quality has low predictive power resulting in a large variability in ECD graft functions and the associated patient survival. Identification of new factors that can assess ECD graft quality and predict graft function, would allow to expand donor pool and to minimize organ discard without compromising patient outcomes. A decline in the replicative capacity of certain self-renewing cells and accumulation of senescent cells appears to broadly contribute to tissue aging. Senescent cells la