Thermo Fisher Scientific, a global leader in serving science, has unveiled a new laboratory-developed test aimed at improving the detection of lung transplant rejection and injury. The test delivers quantifiable results that may boost diagnostic confidence and guide timely treatment decisions.
Due to the high risk of rejection, lung transplant recipients often undergo routine biopsies to monitor the health of their transplanted lungs. However, research shows that when evaluating the same lung biopsy sample, only 18% of pathologists reach the same diagnosis of acute rejection.¹
Thermo Fisher’s new Molecular Microscope® Diagnostic System for Lung (MMDx® Lung) harnesses machine learning to analyze gene expression data from lung biopsies. Each new sample is compared to a reference set of over 896 lung biopsies. The system estimates the probability of rejection and provides molecular scores linked to injury, graft dysfunction, and rejection. These results may assist pathologists in their assessments, aiming to enhance confidence in diagnosing and treating lung transplant recipients.
“The diagnosis of rejection and injury in lung transplants is very challenging,” said Phil Halloran, Director, Alberta Transplant Applied Genomics Center and CEO, Transcriptome Sciences Inc. “Based on technology developed by the investigators in the INTERLUNG study, we believe MMDx Lung will better diagnose rejection and detect Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction (CLAD)-related molecular changes, and thus provide a better guide for treatment and potentially for clinical trials, as a step toward improving survival of lung transplants.”
Lung transplantation, once experimental, is now a standard of care for patients with end-stage lung disease. Over the past decade, the annual number of lung transplants in the U.S. has nearly doubled. Despite advances, lung transplant recipients still face higher rejection rates than other solid organ transplant recipients, with a five-year survival rate just under 60%.²
“The launch of MMDx Lung enhances our comprehensive portfolio of post-transplant monitoring solutions and reflects our ongoing commitment to helping our customers personalize patient care and improve outcomes throughout the transplant journey,” said Tina Liedtky, president, Transplant Diagnostics, Thermo Fisher Scientific.
In the U.S., MMDx Lung is provided through a collaboration with Kashi Clinical Laboratories, a leading transplantation immunodiagnostic testing lab.
“Accelerating clinical decision-making through the delivery of high quality, rapid results, is central to our mission of advancing health and healing to every patient we serve,” said Dr. Todd Johnson, CEO, Kashi Clinical Laboratories. “We're proud to expand our collaboration with Thermo Fisher Transplant Diagnostics to deliver services for lung, in addition to kidney and heart transplant testing.”
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