Overview

• A second cohort of 258 kidney transplant donor-recipient pairs at Northwestern University confirmed that mismatches between donor and recipient SIRPA genotypes correlate with higher rates of acute rejection and scarring.
• Earlier analysis of 455 University of Pittsburgh transplant pairs had linked A/B SIRPA mismatches to poor long-term graft survival despite HLA compatibility.
• SIRPA genotyping, which classifies the ten most common alleles into groups A and B, offers a complementary tool to traditional HLA matching for stratifying rejection risk.
• The research team now intends to investigate monocyte-targeted therapeutics, such as corticosteroids, to mitigate heightened rejection risk in SIRPA-mismatched transplants.
• Incorporation of SIRPA matching could enable more personalized immunosuppression strategies and potentially extend graft lifespan and reduce waitlist demand.