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Not yet recruitingNCT06302556ILTRAUpdated Mar 8, 2024

The Role of Immune Checkpoints in Lung Transplant (ILTRA)

An observational study in Lung Transplant Rejection, sponsored by Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico. Not yet recruiting at 4 sites in Italy. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-03-08.

Sponsored by Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico · Observational

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Jan 2026, 9 months ago, but the record still lists the study as not yet recruiting.
Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Other
Enrollment
280
Ages
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this observational study is to learn about rejection in lung transplantation.

The main question it aims to answer is:

  • what is the role of immune checkpoints in lung transplantation? Participants will describe pathways of rejection in lung transplantation analyzing the immune checkpoints on explanted lungs as well as trans-bronchial biopsies.
Read the detailed description

Lung transplantation is the less common solid organ transplant performed; it is the treatment of choice for end stage lung disease. Lung transplantation is "problematic" for a number of reasons: low graft availability, high waitlist mortality and unsatisfactory survival. Acute rejection, occurring days to months after surgery, has been identified as one of the main risk factors for the development of chronic rejection: in the first five years after lung transplantation, chronic rejection is the major cause of graft failure, morbidity and mortality. A deep knowledge of the immunological scenarios associated with lung graft tolerance could allow selectively switch-off T-cells involved in the rejection process. The researches, preliminary demonstrated the central role of immunological checkpoints in the development of acute rejection and its evolution towards chronic rejection. The aim of this study is the identification of markers that could be associated with the establishment of lung graft tolerance.

The project is articulated into two parts: a retrospective and a prospective section. The retrospective section is constituted by a cross-sectional study of immune checkpoints on lungs explanted during lung re-transplantation for chronic rejection (cohort 1). In addition, the retrospective section includes a retrospective cohort study of immune checkpoints on specimens from transbronchial lung biopsies of participants who received lung transplantation and have 3 years of follow-up (cohort 2). The prospective section is a cohort study of immune checkpoints on specimens from transbronchial lung biopsies and gene expression analysis on immune cells purified from bronchoalveolar lavage; participants will be subjects receiving the lung transplantation during the first year of recruitment and followed for one year (cohort 3).

02

Conditions studied

  • Lung Transplant Rejection

Keywords

  • Lung transplantation
  • Immune checkpoint
  • Acute rejection
  • Chronic rejection
  • Chronic lung allograft dysfunction
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico is the lead sponsor of 214 studies on the registry; 71 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
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Cohort 1: Participants who received lung re-transplantation for chronic lung allograft dysfunction.

Cohort 2 and 3: Participants who received first lung transplantation for end stage respiratory insufficiency.

Inclusion criteria

  • Lung transplant patients

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Hyperimmunized patients
  • History of auto-immune disorders
05

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Other
Enrollment
280 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No
Biospecimen retention
Samples with dna

Groups and cohorts

  • Lung re-transplant cohort

    This cohort includes consecutive participants who underwent lung re-transplantation for chronic lung allograft dysfunction from 2010 to 2020; the immune checkpoints analyses will be conducted on stored specimens from lungs explanted during re-transplantation.

    Diagnostic Test: Immune checkpoints analysis

  • Previous lung transplant cohort

    This cohort includes participants who received first bilateral lung transplantation from 2017 to 2020. The immune checkpoints analyses will be conducted on stored specimens from postoperative transbronchial biopsy performed for clinical suspicious of rejection.

    Diagnostic Test: Immune checkpoints analysis

  • Prospective lung transplant cohort

    This cohort includes participants who will have their first bilateral lung transplant from April 2024 to April 2025. Immunopathological characterization of bronchoalveolar leukocytes and analysis of immuno checkpoints will be performed on leftover material of bronchoalveolar lavage and transbronchial lung biopsy samples performed for clinical suspicious of rejection.

    Diagnostic Test: Immune checkpoints analysis · Diagnostic Test: Gene expression analysis

Interventions

  • Diagnostic testImmune checkpoints analysis

    The researcher will analyze immune checkpoint molecules, which will include the lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3), T cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-3 (TIM-3), V-domain Ig suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA), besides the canonical PD1 and ligands L1 and L2, T cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain (TIGIT) and CTLA-4. In addition, Foxp3, GATA3 and TOX will be analyzed as specific lineage markers.

  • Diagnostic testGene expression analysis

    Immune cells will be purified from bronchoalveolar lavage; total RNA will be purified and subjected to gene expression analysis by Quantigene multiplex 80-plex Assay, which allows to evaluate simultaneously the follow mRNA targets: CCL2, CCL3, CCL5, CXCL10, CSF2, CSF3, IL1A, IL1B, IL1RN, IL6, IL6R, IL8, IL10, IL12B, IL17A, IL18, IL22, IL28A, TNF, TNFRSF4, IFNA2, IFNB1, IFNG, IFI16, IFITM1, IFITM3, MX1, TLR3, TLR4, TLR7, TLR8, NOD1, NOD2, CASP1, NLRP3, PYCARD, CD44, CLEC4M, CD209, ITGA4, ITGB7, CH25H, ABCA1, HMGCS1, NR1H3, ACAT1, PDCD1, PTGS2, CD274, CD69, MPO, HAVCR2, TAP1, ERAP1, ERAP2, AGTR2, AGTR1, PPARG, CRP, IL7, IL12A, ACE2, ELOVL6, CD38, NOS2

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Lung-tissue immune-checkpoint profile and bronchoalveolar immune-cells mRNA signature in acute rejection after lung transplantation.

    Prevalence of immune checkpoint markers and gene-expression on leukocytes from transbronchial biopsies and bronchoalveolar lavage. Participants: cohort number 3.

    Time frame: Twelve months after lung transplantation (prospective data)

  2. Lung-tissue immune-checkpoint profile in chronic rejection after lung transplantation.

    Prevalence of immune checkpoint markers on leukocytes from explanted lung grafts and transbronchial biopsies. Participants: cohort number 1 and 2.

    Time frame: Cohort 1: at re-transplantation for chronic lung allograft dysfunction (cross-sectional data). Cohort 2: from one to 36 months after lung transplantation (retrospective data)

07

Study locations

4 sites
  • Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
    Milan, 20122, Italy
    • Mario Nosotti, Medicine · Contact · mario.nosotti@unimi.it · 3393924679
    • Ilaria Righi, Medicine · Contact · ilaria.righi78@gmail.com · +393470556707
    • Mario Nosotti, Medicine · Principal investigator
    • Ilaria Righi, Medicine · Sub investigator
    • Lorenzo Rosso, Medicine · Sub investigator
    • Valentina Vaira, Biology · Sub investigator
    • Mario Clerici, Medicine · Sub investigator
    • Daria Trabattoni, Biology · Sub investigator
  • University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
    Modena, 41121, Italy
  • University of Padua
    Padova, 35131, Italy
  • University of Turin
    Torino, 10124, Italy
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Righi I, Vaira V, Morlacchi LC, Croci GA, Rossetti V, Blasi F, Ferrero S, Nosotti M, Rosso L, Clerici M. PD-1 expression in transbronchial biopsies of lung transplant recipients is a possible early predictor of rejection. Front Immunol. 2023 Jan 10;13:1024021. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1024021. eCollection 2022. PubMed 36703976 ↗
  • Righi I, Vaira V, Morlacchi LC, Croci GA, Rossetti V, Blasi F, Ferrero S, Nosotti M, Rosso L, Clerici M. Immune Checkpoints Expression in Chronic Lung Allograft Rejection. Front Immunol. 2021 Aug 13;12:714132. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.714132. eCollection 2021. PubMed 34489963 ↗
  • Palleschi A, Gaudioso G, Edefonti V, Musso V, Terrasi A, Ambrogi F, Franzi S, Rosso L, Tarsia P, Morlacchi LC, Ferrero S, Nosotti M, Vaira V. Bronchoalveolar Lavage-microRNAs Are Potential Novel Biomarkers of Outcome After Lung Transplantation. Transplant Direct. 2020 Apr 9;6(5):e547. doi: 10.1097/TXD.0000000000000994. eCollection 2020 May. PubMed 32548241 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — The anonymized data collected will be recorded on a database available online by other researchers upon request

Supporting information: Study protocol

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 8, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06302556
Lead sponsor
Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
Collaborators
University of Milan, University of Padova, University of Turin, Italy
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Mar 8, 2024
Start date
Apr 2024 (estimated)
Primary completion
Jan 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Feb 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Mar 8, 2024

Study contacts

Mario Nosotti, Medicine
Contact
mario.nosotti@unimi.it
3393924679
Ilaria Righi, Medcine
Contact
ilaria.righi78@gmail.com
+39 3470556707
Mario Nosotti, Medicine
principal investigator · University of Milan, Italy

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Feb 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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