Donor-derived cell-free DNA as a composite marker of acute lung allograft dysfunction in clinical care.

Background: As a marker of underlying lung allograft injury, donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) may be used to identify episodes of acute allograft injury in lung transplant recipients. We investigated the utility of dd-cfDNA to monitor subjects at risk of acute rejection or infection in routine clinical practice.

Methods: This multicenter, retrospective cohort study collected data from lung transplant recipients within 3 years of transplant at 4 centers between March 24, 2020 and September 1, 2020.

Biological Variation of Donor-Derived Cell-Free DNA in Stable Lung Transplant Recipients.

Background: Prior studies demonstrate that donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) in lung transplant recipients may serve as a marker of allograft injury for detecting allograft rejection and infection. Clinical interpretation of dd-cfDNA requires understanding its biological variation in stable lung transplant patients in order to identify abnormal results suggesting underlying allograft dysfunction. This study establishes the biological variation and reference change values (RCV) of dd-cfDNA in stable lung transplant recipients using an analytically validated assay with an established analytic coefficient of variation (CVA).