FLOW CYTOMETRIC IMMUNE MONITORING IN CARDIAC TRANSPLANTATION

SUCCESSFUL ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION REQUIRES SUSTAINED IMMUNOSUPPRESSION. CURRENTLY, IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE TREATMENT FOR CARDIAC ALLOGRAFT RECIPIENTS IS DETERMINED EMPIRICALLY. SPECIALTY LABORATORIES, INC. HAS DEVELOPED A SENSITIVE AND ACCURATE TECHNIQUE TO PREDICT OR CONFIRM ORGAN REJECTION AND TO DISCOVER IF IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE TREATMENT HAS MODULATEDTHE IMMUNE RESPONSE. FLOW CYTOMETRIC IMMUNE MONITORING (FCIM) IS A LOW-COST, SENSITIVE, NONINVASIVE ASSAY THAT CAN DETECT OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTIONS AND PREDICT TRANSPLANT REJECTION. MULTIPLE-MARKER ANALYSIS WILL BE PERFORMED ON PERIPHERAL BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF ACTIVATED CIRCULATING LYMPHOCYTES. FCIM CAN BE UTILIZED TO MONITOR ALL TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS FOR REJECTION AND INFECTION. THIS RESEARCH WILL LEAD TO A COST-EFFECTIVE, NONINVASIVE, SENSITIVE TOOL TO PREDICT ALL TRANSPLANT REJECTIONS.