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RecruitingNCT04203004Cyto-HOPEUpdated May 23, 2023

HOPE With Cytokine Filtration in Liver Transplantation (Cyto-HOPE)

An interventional study of HOPE with cytokine filtration by CytoSorb in Liver Transplantation, Post-Reperfusion Syndrome and Ischaemia-Reperfusion Injury, sponsored by Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital. Recruiting at 1 site in Italy. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-05-23.

Sponsored by Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Dec 2023, 2 years 10 months ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Started Sep 2021; still recruiting 5 years 1 month later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
20
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is unavoidably typical of solid organ transplantation.

Post-reperfusion syndrome (PRS), characterized by hemodynamic instability at reperfusion of the implanted graft, is a possible complication of liver transplantation. For sure, IRI plays a fundamental role in the multifactorial pathogenesis of PRS.

IRI and PRS are associated with a higher risk of early allograft dysfunction (EAD) and, consequently, graft failure.

Liver grafts from both extended criteria donors (ECD) and donation after circulatory death (DCD) are particularly susceptible to IRI and, accordingly, are at higher risk of PRS, EAD and graft failure. Anyway, in the present scenario of organ shortage, such donors greatly contribute to enlarge the organ pool. So, various strategies have been developed for the purpose of a safer use of this kind of grafts. Among them, ex vivo hypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE) reduces IRI and is beneficial for high-risk liver grafts.

The pathogenesis of IRI is an extremely complex downstream inflammation process, involving many different cytokines, chemokines and growth factors. In particular, tumor necrosis factor-alfa (TNF-alfa), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8 and endothelin-1 (ET-1) are crucial in the development of IRI in liver transplantation.

In experimental models, cytokine filtration during ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) was proved to be safe and effective in reducing inflammatory response and, thus, pulmonary edema development.

Since

  • in liver transplantation, IRI and PRS are associated with a higher risk of EAD and graft failure
  • liver grafts from ECD and DCD are particularly susceptible to IRI and are at higher risk of PRS, EAD and graft failure
  • HOPE of high-risk liver grafts reduces IRI
  • in solid organ transplantation, various cytokines, chemokines and growth factors are involved in the pathogenesis of IRI
  • in experimental models of EVLP, cytokine filtration was proved to reduce inflammatory response and subsequent organ damage,

our hypothesis is that cytokine filtration during HOPE of high-risk liver grafts may potentiate the beneficial effects of HOPE, further reducing IRI and, consequently, further decreasing the incidence of PRS and EAD.

So, the aim of this study is to verify the feasibility and safety of cytokine filtration during end-ischemic HOPE of liver grafts.

Read the detailed description

This is a monocentric, pilot, randomized controlled study. Each eligible transplant candidate will be enrolled once an eligible graft has been allocated to him/her. Each enrolled patient will be randomized to either the experimental arm (HOPE-CytoSorb) or the control arm (HOPE-standard).

End-ischemic HOPE will be performed at our center after standard procurement of the graft at the donor hospital, static cold storage preservation during transport and back-table preparation. Dual HOPE, by portal continuous flow and arterial pulsatile flow, will be pressure controlled: portal pressure will be ≤5 mmHg and mean arterial pressure will be ≤30 mmHg. HOPE will be performed in an open system, so the graft will swim in the perfusate flowing out of the vena cava. The recirculating perfusion solution will have the same composition of University of Wisconsin Machine Perfusion Solution. HOPE will be maintained for 4 hours. CytoSorb will be included in the circuit only in the experimental arm.

Scheduled samples of both the perfusate and patient's blood will be analyzed for the levels of TNF-alfa, IL-6, IL-8 and ET-1. A biopsy of the implanted graft will be taken 2 hours after its reperfusion. The patient will be followed for 1 year after transplantation.

Once 10 patients have been enrolled, an interim analysis will be performed by an independent Clinical Endpoint Committee.

02

Conditions studied

  • Liver Transplantation
  • Post-Reperfusion Syndrome
  • Ischaemia-Reperfusion Injury
  • Early Allograft Dysfunction

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Keywords

  • Hypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE)
  • Cytokine filtration
  • Liver transplantation
03

In context

Reperfusion Injury

260 studies on the registry are indexed under Reperfusion Injury; 43 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 20 is below the median of 60 across 212 interventional studies indexed under Reperfusion Injury.

Browse Reperfusion Injury studies →

Lead sponsor

Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital is the lead sponsor of 22 studies on the registry; 6 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Eligibility criteria

RECIPIENTS

  • Inclusion criteria: age ≥18 years, signed form
  • Exclusion criteria: age \<18 years, combined liver-other organ transplantation, pre-transplant treatment with plasmapheresis, refusal to consent to the study

GRAFTS ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA TO HOPE:

  • grafts from extended criteria donors with any combination of the following characteristics: age ≥70 years; macrosteatosis ≥35%; diabetes mellitus; severe vasculopathy; anti- or positivity (upon )
  • grafts from donors with hemodynamic instability
  • graft from DCD (occasionally)
  • grafts with an anticipated long cold ischemia time
  • PARTIAL GRAFTS ARE EXCLUDED FROM THE STUDY
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(4)

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.

Hepatitis C tests

Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.

After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.

Hepatitis B tests

Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. These are separate tests: HBsAg positive usually means a current infection (a recent vaccination can briefly cause it too); total anti-HBc (HBcAb) positive means an infection now or in the past; HBV DNA measures how much virus is in the blood.

Some studies accept a past infection if HBV DNA is undetectable, sometimes with antiviral medicine during the study. Check what this study allows.

Biopsy and archival tissue

A biopsy takes a small piece of tissue to examine. “Archival tissue” is a sample already taken, for example at diagnosis, and kept by the hospital.

Whether a stored sample will do depends on when it was taken, how much there is and what the study needs. Ask whether the study accepts your stored sample or needs a new biopsy.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
20 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    HOPE-CytoSorb

    Patients transplanted with livers preserved by HOPE with cytokine filtration by CytoSorb, a CE approved medical device for extracorporeal cytokine removal

    Procedure: HOPE with cytokine filtration by CytoSorb

  • No intervention
    HOPE-standard

    Patients transplanted with livers preserved by HOPE without cytokine filtration

Interventions

  • ProcedureHOPE with cytokine filtration by CytoSorb

    Cytokine filtration during HOPE

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Incidence of post-reperfusion syndrome

    Aggarwal definition: a decrease in mean arterial pressure \>30% below the baseline value, for at least 1 minute, occurring during the first 5 minutes after reperfusion of the liver graft

    Time frame: Intraoperatively, during the first 5 minutes after reperfusion of the liver graft

Secondary outcomes

  1. Entity of ischemia-reperfusion injury

    Assessment of liver biopsy according to Suzuki histological grading system modified by UCLA group \[Sosa RA et al. JCI Insight 2016; 1(20): e89679\]

    Time frame: 2 hours after reperfusion of the liver graft

  2. Incidence of early allograft dysfunction

    Olthoff definition: presence of almost one of the following variables: bilirubin ≥10 mg/dl on postoperative day 7, INR ≥1.6 on postoperative day 7, ALT or AST \>2000 UI/ml within the first 7 postoperative days

    Time frame: Postoperative day 7

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 23, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04203004
Lead sponsor
Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital
Responsible party
Stefania Camagni (MD, Principal Investigator, Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital) — Principal investigator
First posted
Dec 18, 2019
Start date
Sep 23, 2021
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2023 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 31, 2023 (estimated)
Last update
May 23, 2023

Study contacts

Stefania Camagni, MD
Contact
scamagni@asst-pg23.it
0352674771 ext. 0039
Michele Colledan, MD, FEBS
study director · Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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