Doctors: Blood Tests Can Detect Organ Rejection Often Before It Begins

March 14, 2006

The story by medical editor Marilyn Brooks first aired on Channel 4 Action News at 5 p.m. on Feb. 14, 2006.

Organ transplantation may seem routine today but the biggest fear is rejection, which is the main problem in the first six months after transplant.

Right now the only way to determine rejection is with biopsies but they're not pleasant.

Richard Kralik had his first heart attack at age 40. Life went down hill from there. A man who built bridges could barely walk up a hill. Last June his luck finally changed

"That's when they called and told me they thought they had a heart for me," said Kralik.

At age 58, Richard got a second chance to beat the disease that killed his father and caused heart attacks in two sisters and a brother.

"It surprised me because after I could do so much that I couldn't do before," said Kralik.

Despite medications, organ rejection is still a threat. Detection is determined through heart muscle biopsies but they're risky to new hearts.

Now, there's an easier way-- a blood test called AlloMap.

AlloMap tests measure the activity of genes in white blood cells circulating in the blood stream.

"What you see is a lot of activation of proteins in the body and the white blood cells are intimately involved in this process," said heart failure specialist Dr Srinivas Murali.

The test score lets doctors detect rejection, determine a high or low risk, or predict an event before it happens.

"We want to be certain that it's present when we think it is so we can treat it aggressively," said Murali.

"There's really nothing to it," said Kralik.

AlloMap was released several months ago but doctors have to develop their own comfort levels before using it. So for the moment both blood test and biopsies are being done just to be sure what they get is true.

Copyright © 2006, Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc.

This article posted April 2, 2006.