The microbiota in kidney donation and transplantation
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Longitudinal characterisation of the host microbiota after kidney donation and transplantation
IRAS ID
246481
Contact name
Reza Motallebzadeh
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Free London NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 0 months, 2 days
Research summary
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterised by decline in kidney function over time and progression of CKD can lead to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), affecting an estimated 7.4 million people worldwide. Transplanting a healthy kidney from one person (donor) into another (recipient) is the optimal treatment for ESKD. A transplanted kidney (‘graft’) however is subjected to continual attack from the recipient’s immune system ('immune response'), which can result in graft rejection and lead to irreversible graft loss. To prevent this, the immune response is inhibited using drugs (immunosuppression). Despite advancements, the medium to long-term kidney graft survival has remained unchanged for the last two decades, and strategies to improve long-term outcomes are essential.
The human gut and urinary systems (kidney and bladder) have ecological communities consisting of trillions of microbes (e.g. bacteria), known as the microbiota. The microbiota is at constant interplay with the immune system, and its disruption is associated with the development of many chronic diseases that are driven by unregulated immune responses. Medications that are given after a transplant (e.g. antibiotics and immunosuppression) can alter the microbiota which in turn may disrupt a recipient’s immune response and subsequently affect kidney graft rejection and function.
This study aims to compare the gut and urinary microbiota profiles between kidney transplant donor and recipient patients and to understand if alterations in the recipient microbiota adversely influences immune responses before graft rejection becomes obvious. Detailed characterisation of the changes to the microbiota has the potential to improve our understanding of the rejection process and translate into development of new therapeutic strategies to improve outcomes after kidney transplantation.
REC name
London - Dulwich Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/LO/0358
Date of REC Opinion
11 May 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion