Multi-omics profiling predicts allograft function after lung transplantation
2021
Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Lung transplantation carries the highest mortality rate among all solid organ transplants because of the risk of chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD). The mechanisms leading to CLAD are not well understood to date. A better understanding of the contribution of the pulmonary microbiome, metabolome, lipidome, and cellular profiles to the development of CLAD requires a holistic assessment of posttransplant dynamics. Here, an exploratory cohort study of bronchoalveolar lavage samples from lung recipients and donors examined the remodelling of the pulmonary milieu after transplantation with the primary goal of identifying time-dependent factors in the process and the secondary goal of describing the causes of lung function deterioration. Variation in cell composition, microbial diversity, lipid and metabolite profiles, and the spirometry parameter FEV1 (forced expiratory volume during the first second) served as statistical endpoints. The alveolar microbiome was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing, cellular composition by flow cytometry, and metabolome and lipidome profiling.
The authors found that microbial composition after lung transplantation is primarily determined by environmental and recipient-specific factors, independent of the donor microbiome, and identified selected microbial species that correlated with underlying lung disease even after transplantation. Using a computational model, they were able to predict the evolution of lung function based on multi-omics datasets, with microbial profiles showing particularly high predictive power. According to the authors, the exploratory study design contributes to the knowledge of graft adaptation and thus may be helpful in identifying novel therapeutic approaches to prevent dysfunction in lung allografts.
Multi-omics profiling predicts allograft function after lung transplantation
Sylvia Knapp
Added on: 09-12-2022
[1] https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/59/2/2003292
