Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32950000›Full record

ArticleEBioMedicine2020

Ex-vivo delivery of monoclonal antibody (Rituximab) to treat human donor lungs prior to transplantation.

Terrance J Y Ku, Rafaela V P Ribeiro, Victor H Ferreira, Marcos Galasso, Shaf Keshavjee, Deepali Kumar, Marcelo Cypel, Atul Humar

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in EBioMedicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed
3.1field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 26 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Emerging roles for complement in lung transplantation.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2025
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  5. The establishment of anJournal of thoracic disease · 2024
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  6. Clinical transplantation and research · 2024
    Review
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Ex-vivo lung perfusion therapies: do they add value to organ donation?Current opinion in organ transplantation · 2022
    Review
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Terrance J Y KuAjmera Transplant Center, University Health Network, PMB 11-175, 585 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2N2, Canada.
Rafaela V P RibeiroLatner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories, University Health Network, Canada.
Victor H FerreiraAjmera Transplant Center, University Health Network, PMB 11-175, 585 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2N2, Canada.
Marcos GalassoLatner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories, University Health Network, Canada.
Shaf KeshavjeeLatner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories, University Health Network, Canada.
Deepali KumarAjmera Transplant Center, University Health Network, PMB 11-175, 585 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2N2, Canada.
Marcelo CypelAjmera Transplant Center, University Health Network, PMB 11-175, 585 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2N2, Canada; Latner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories, University Health Network, Canada.
Atul HumarAjmera Transplant Center, University Health Network, PMB 11-175, 585 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2N2, Canada. Electronic address: atul.humar@uhn.ca.
University Health Network · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEx-vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) is an innovative platform for assessing donor lungs in the pre-transplant window. In this study, we demonstrate an extension of its utility by administering the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, Rituximab, during EVLP. We hypothesized that this would lead to targeted depletion of allograft B-cells which may provide significant clinical benefit, including the potential to reduce latent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and decrease the incidence of post-transplant lymphoproliferative malignancies.

methodsTwenty human donor lungs rejected for transplantation were placed on EVLP with (n = 10) or without (n = 10) 500 mg of Rituximab. Safety parameters such as lung physiology and inflammatory cytokines were evaluated. We measured the delivery efficacy through flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry and ELISA. An in-vitro culture assay, in the presence of complement, was further conducted to monitor whether B-cell depletion would occur in Rituximab-perfused samples.

findingsRituximab was successfully delivered to human lungs during EVLP as evidenced by flow cytometric binding assays where lung tissue and lymph node biopsies demonstrated occupied CD20 epitopes after perfusion with the antibody. Lymph nodes from Rituximab perfusions demonstrated a 10.9 fold-reduction in CD20+ staining compared to controls (p = 0.0003). In lung tissue, Rituximab resulted in an 8.75 fold-reduction in CD20+ staining relative to controls (p = 0.0002). This decrease in CD20+ binding illustrates the successful delivery and occupation of epitopes after perfusion with the Rituximab. No apparent safety concerns were seen as exhibited by markers associated with acute cell injury (e.g., proinflammatory cytokines), cell death (e.g., TUNEL staining), or pulmonary physiology. In a post-perfusion tissue culture model, the addition of complement (human serum) resulted in evidence of B-cell depletion consistent with what would be expected with posttransplant activation of bound Rituximab.

interpretationOur experiments illustrate the potential of EVLP as a platform to deliver monoclonal antibody therapies to treat donor lungs pretransplant with the goal of eliminating a latent virus responsible for considerable morbidity after lung transplantation.

fundingSupported by the University Health Network Transplant Center.

Indexed as

Lung TransplantationLymphocyte DepletionPreoperative CareAntibodies, MonoclonalBiomarkersB-LymphocytesCytokinesEpstein-Barr Virus InfectionsHumansInflammation MediatorsLungPerfusionRituximabTissue DonorsAntibodies, MonoclonalBiomarkersCytokinesInflammation MediatorsRituximabEpstein-Barr virusEx-vivo lung perfusionMonoclonal therapyPTLDRituximab

Identifiers

PMID32950000
PMCPMC7501077
OpenAlexW3084460949

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.