Precision monitoring of immunotherapies in solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Abstract

Pharmacological immunotherapies are a key component of post-transplant therapy in solid-organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In current clinical practice, immunotherapies largely follow a one-size fits all approach, leaving a large portion of transplant recipients either over- or under-immunosuppressed, and consequently at risk of infections or immune-mediated complications. Our goal here is to review recent and rapid advances in precision and genomic medicine approaches to monitoring of post-transplant immunotherapies. We will discuss recent advances in precision measurements of pharmacological immunosuppression, measurements of the plasma and gut microbiome, strategies to monitor for allograft injury and post-transplant malignancies via circulating cell-free DNA, and comprehensive measurements of the B and T cell immune cell repertoire.

Keywords: Cell-free DNA; Microbiome; Precision medicine; Transplantation medicine.