An observational study in Kidney Transplant Rejection and Kidney Replacement, sponsored by Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Suspended at 1 site in United Kingdom. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-04-08.
Sponsored by Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust · Observational
Tacrolimus is a medicine given to try and stop rejection of a new kidney after transplant surgery. If too much taken the kidney may be damaged. If not enough taken, the risk of rejection is increased. Creatinine is a waste product made by the muscles and is normally removed from the body by the kidneys. If kidney function gets worse, the creatinine level in the blood goes up and means the new new kidney is not working properly. It is important to monitor levels of tacrolimus and creatinine regularly, to keep the kidney as healthy as possible. Regular monitoring also aids with balancing the amount of tacrolimus that patients need to take.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to changes in the delivery of transplant services. One such changes was a move to the use of point-of-care, and at home devices.
The study involves the set-up a new method in an NHS laboratory to test tacrolimus and creatinine levels in blood collected in the normal blood tubes and to compare the results with this new collection device, to see if the results are the same.
If the results match, patients will continue to collect a blood sample using the new devices and send it to the laboratory. This will save both patients and the NHS time and money as they will not have to travel to a hospital to have their bloods taken.
A minimum of 50 adult renal transplant patients (>18 years old) taking tacrolimus as an immunosuppressant will be recruited when attending their routine outpatient follow up appointment, or if selected as eligible by the Renal Consultants and transplant nurses. Written consent will be obtained from all participants.
Patients attending blood clinic to have their routine blood samples taken will also have a finger prick and a small amount of blood (10µl) will be collected by volumetric absorptive micro sampling (VAMS) using the Mitra® device (Neoteryx), according to manufacturer's instructions. Two venous blood samples will be collected from the patients by venepuncture by trained phlebotomists/nurses. A 4ml EDTA and a 4ml serum gel sample (to measure tacrolimus and renal function as part of routine care). Tacrolimus and creatinine are measured in venous blood samples as part of routine patient care therefore these will be processed as normal, and results reported. The paired capillary samples collected using the Mitra® device will be batched and run when appropriate by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Mitra® devices will be stored at -20 degree Celsius, prior to analysis.
Venous EDTA whole blood samples (collected by venepuncture) and capillary whole blood samples (collected by VAMS®) will be analysed for tacrolimus using a validated LC-MS/MS assay in routine clinical use in the lab using the Waters ACQUITY UPLC system and Xevo TQD MS. Capillary whole blood samples (collected by VAMS®) and serum samples will be analysed for creatinine using an LC-MS/MS method which will be developed in house. For the method comparison, serum samples (collected by venepuncture) will be analysed for creatinine using an enzymatic method on the Roche platform. All sample analysis will be performed in an ISO 15189 accredited laboratory.
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is the lead sponsor of 10 studies on the registry; 3 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Adult renal transplant patients (>18 years old) taking tacrolimus as an immunosuppressant
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.
Exclusion Criteria:
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.
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Immunosuppression
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Sample collection via standard phlebotomy as well as point-or-care Mitra device.
Diagnostic Test: Mitra® device with VAMS® (volumetric absorptive microsampling) technology
Capillary blood sample
Tacrolimus in Capillary Blood Samples
That Tacrolimus is within range: 10-20ng/ml
Time frame: 6 months
Creatinine in Capillary Blood Samples
That Creatinine is within range: 52.2 - 119.3 micromoles/L
Time frame: 6 months
Tacrolimus is concordant with venous blood sample
Results match standard venous results for Tacrolimus and is within range:10-20ng/ml then use of VAMS will be implemented into routine clinical practice for monitoring renal patients post transplant.
Time frame: 6 months
Creatinine is concordant with venous blood sample
Results match standard venous results for Creatinine and is within range: 52.2 - 119.3 micromoles/L.
Time frame: 6 months
Plan to share: No
Started Feb 2024 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Aug 2026, 30 months after the start.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is suspended, as verified in May 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust