The increasing clinical importance of alloantibodies in kidney transplantation
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Updated: Apr 22, 2026

In Vitro and In Vivo Assessment of T, B and Myeloid Cells Suppressive Activity and Humoral Responses from Transplant Recipients
Published on: August 12, 2017
Oleh Pankewycz1, Karim Soliman, Mark R Laftavi
1Department of Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences , Buffalo, New York , USA and.
Historically, cellular rather than humoral immunity has gathered the most attention in kidney transplantation. As the specter of cellular acute rejection and early graft loss has faded due to the availability of highly effective immunosuppressive therapy, scientific and clinical studies now focus on improving long-term graft survival. It is increasingly appreciated that alloantibodies directed against HLA and non-HLA antigens are key factors in determining graft longevity. Significant efforts are now being made to better understand the critical impact that B cells and alloantibodies make on organ allocation and graft survival. Future therapies directed specific for the humoral alloresponse will undoubtedly lead to improved outcomes after kidney transplantation. This review will cover some of the advances in the understanding and management of the continuum of humoral immunity in renal transplantation in the pre, peri and post-transplant periods.
Historically, cellular rather than humoral immunity has gathered the most attention in kidney transplantation. As the specter of cellular acute rejection and early graft loss has faded due to the availability of highly effective immunosuppressive therapy, scientific and clinical studies now focus on improving long-term graft survival. It is increasingly appreciated that alloantibodies directed against HLA and non-HLA antigens are key factors in determining graft longevity. Significant efforts are now being made to better understand the critical impact that B cells and alloantibodies make on organ allocation and graft survival. Future therapies directed specific for the humoral alloresponse will undoubtedly lead to improved outcomes after kidney transplantation. This review will cover some of the advances in the understanding and management of the continuum of humoral immunity in renal transplantation in the pre, peri and post-transplant periods.
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