ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT02346968Updated Aug 28, 2019

Evaluation of CAF22 After Renal Transplantation

An observational study in Kidney Transplantation and Delayed Graft Function, sponsored by Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern. Completed at 2 sites in 2 countries. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 80 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2019-08-28.

Sponsored by Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
99
Ages
18 Years to 80 Years
Sex
All
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Study summary

Established markers of kidney function, such as creatinine, have considerable limitations in the diagnosis of delayed graft function (DGF) after kidney transplantation (KT). Indeed, creatinine does not accurately reflect minor changes of renal function as its levels change only upon significant fluctuations of the latter. CAF22 is a molecule which arises from the degradation of a larger protein and it is proposed to be a reliable and more sensitive marker of renal function. This study aims to further clarify this issue by measuring blood and urine concentrations of CAF22 and comparing them with creatinine levels before and after KT.

The main assumption is that blood CAF22 levels could serve as a more sensitive kidney function biomarker than creatinine post-KT to detect DGF.

Read the detailed description

Background

Kidney transplantation (KT) is the most appropriate therapy of end stage renal disease (ESRD). While the number of kidney donors remained stable during the last decade the number of patients waiting for a kidney transplantation are rapidly increasing resulting in utilization of an increasing numbers of marginal renal transplants. These kidneys show a relatively high percentage of delayed graft function (DGF), which complicates post-transplant management and increases both the duration of initial hospitalization and the cost of transplantation.

Exact measurement of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is complex in the clinical setting and thus GFR is usually estimated from serum creatinine levels through creatinine-based equations such as the MDRD or the CKD-EPI equations. Particularly, this is the case in kidney recipients with DGF, in whom creatinine levels remain high and they have to undergo dialysis. Creatinine is dialyzable, so that it cannot reflect the actual renal function in this setting due to fluctuations of its levels. Thus there is emergent need for a more accurate renal biomarker.

CAF22 is the C-terminal 22 kDa domain of agrin. Agrin is cleaved by its specific protease neurotrypsin at two distinct sites, whereas cleavage at the beta site generates a 22 kDa C-terminal fragment (CAF22). In the kidney agrin is part of the basal lamina, where it is the major contributor of the anionic potential of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM). There are indices for a proteolytic activity selectively shedding the C-terminal part of agrin of the GBM. Recently, a 19-fold increase of CAF22 levels in ESDR was observed, which was reduced in patients receiving KT, qualifying CAF22 as effective renal function marker. Additionally, current data support that CAF22 levels are not influenced by inflammatory processes, steroids or by hemodialysis with a standard dialysis membrane.

Objective

Primary:

  • to compare CAF22 versus creatinine as biomarkers for DGF prediction in patients undergoing kidney transplantation

Secondary:

  • to evaluate the kinetics of CAF levels related with the graft function outcomes "immediate graft function (IGF)" and "delayed graft function (DGF)"
  • to elucidate whether CAF can make estimations on the required hemodialysis days of patients with delayed graft function

Methods

Research project with humans associated with the collection of biologic material and health-related data. Prospective, observational trial.

All patients will be screened consecutively before undergoing kidney transplantation (KT).

All participants will undergo blood and urine sampling for estimation of CAF22 levels once before KT, once daily during the first 7 days after KT as well as at 2, 4 and 12 weeks after KT. Blood and urine sampling for CAF22 will be performed during routine follow-up sampling.

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Conditions studied

  • Kidney Transplantation
  • Delayed Graft Function

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Keywords

  • Kidney Transplantation
  • Delayed Graft Function
  • C-terminal fragment of agrin
  • Dialysis
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In context

Delayed Graft Function

83 studies on the registry are indexed under Delayed Graft Function; 15 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 99 is below the median of 125 across 16 observational studies indexed under Delayed Graft Function.

Browse Delayed Graft Function studies →

Lead sponsor

Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern is the lead sponsor of 741 studies on the registry; 180 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 80 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) planned to undergo kindey transplantation in Bern University Hospital will be screened consecutively, informed and asked for written inform consent.

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age ≥ 18 years old
  • Written
  • All patients planned to undergo kidney transplantation

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria

  • Age \<18 years old
  • Pregnancy
  • Other individuals especially in need of protection (according to the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences)
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

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Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
99 participants (actual)
Biospecimen retention
Samples without dna

Groups and cohorts

  • All study participants

    Patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) planned to undergo kidney transplantation.

    Other: Blood and urine sampling

Interventions

  • OtherBlood and urine sampling

    Blood and urine sampling (in the context of routine sampling)

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Delayed graft function (DGF) defined as the requirement of dialysis within 7 days after transplantation

    Time frame: 7 days

Secondary outcomes

  1. Immediate graft function (IGF)

    Time frame: 7 days

  2. Need for hemodialysis

    Time frame: 7 days

  3. Hemodialysis duration (in days)

    Time frame: 7 days

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Study locations

2 sites
  • Department of Nephrology, University Hospital of Essen
    Essen, 45147, Germany
  • Dep. of Nephrology, Bern University Hospital
    Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
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References and documents

Publications

  • Steubl D, Hettwer S, Vrijbloed W, Dahinden P, Wolf P, Luppa P, Wagner CA, Renders L, Heemann U, Roos M. C-terminal agrin fragment--a new fast biomarker for kidney function in renal transplant recipients. Am J Nephrol. 2013;38(6):501-8. doi: 10.1159/000356969. Epub 2013 Dec 14. PubMed 24356308 ↗
  • Steubl D, Hettwer S, Dahinden P, Wolf P, Luppa P, Wagner CA, Kuchle C, Schmaderer C, Renders L, Heemann U, Roos M. Influence of high-flux hemodialysis and hemodiafiltration on serum C-terminal agrin fragment levels in end-stage renal disease patients. Transl Res. 2014 Nov;164(5):392-9. doi: 10.1016/j.trsl.2014.05.005. Epub 2014 May 16. PubMed 24907476 ↗
  • Steubl D, Hettwer S, Dahinden P, Luppa P, Rondak IC, Regenbogen C, Stock KF, Renders L, Heemann U, Roos M. C-terminal agrin fragment (CAF) as a serum biomarker for residual renal function in peritoneal dialysis patients. Int Urol Nephrol. 2015 Feb;47(2):391-6. doi: 10.1007/s11255-014-0852-5. Epub 2014 Oct 29. PubMed 25352149 ↗
  • Ojo AO, Wolfe RA, Held PJ, Port FK, Schmouder RL. Delayed graft function: risk factors and implications for renal allograft survival. Transplantation. 1997 Apr 15;63(7):968-74. doi: 10.1097/00007890-199704150-00011. PubMed 9112349 ↗
  • Levey AS, Stevens LA, Schmid CH, Zhang YL, Castro AF 3rd, Feldman HI, Kusek JW, Eggers P, Van Lente F, Greene T, Coresh J; CKD-EPI (Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration). A new equation to estimate glomerular filtration rate. Ann Intern Med. 2009 May 5;150(9):604-12. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-150-9-200905050-00006. Erratum In: Ann Intern Med. 2011 Sep 20;155(6):408. PubMed 19414839 ↗
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Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Ran from Oct 2014 to primary completion in Sep 2018, 47 months.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Jan 20, 2015
First posted
Jan 27, 2015
StartActual
Oct 8, 2014
Primary completionActual
Sep 27, 2018
CompletionActual
Sep 27, 2018
Last update
Aug 28, 2019
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 28, 2019, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02346968
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jan 27, 2015
Start date
Oct 8, 2014
Primary completion
Sep 27, 2018
Completion
Sep 27, 2018
Last update
Aug 28, 2019

Study contacts

Spyridon Arampatzis, MD
principal investigator · Dep. of Nephrology, Hypertension and Clinical Pharmacology, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2019. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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