Amy Thachil’s bio
Amy Thachil is a master’s student in the laboratory of Dr. Tom Blydt-Hansenat the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. She completed her undergraduate degree in human biology and immunology at the University of Toronto. She is currently pursuing her masters in experimental medicine at the University of British Columbia. Her work will focus on immunometabolomic biomarkers of transplant outcomes in kidney transplant recipients.
Investigating serum immunometabolomic profiles associated with pediatric kidney transplant alloimmune outcomes
Dr. Tom Blydt-Hansen, Dr. Katey Armstrong, Dr. David Wishart, Dr. Simon Urschel, Dr. Graham Sinclair, Dr. Atul Sharma, Dr. Paul Keown, Dr. Karen Sherwood
Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for children with end-stage kidney failure. Following transplantation, some children develop chronic forms of rejection that reduce the lifespan of their transplant and negatively impact their quality of life. We have yet to determine all of the factors that contribute to the development of transplant tolerance versus rejection. An individual’s metabolism may play a role. Metabolism factors, such as nutritional status and disease, can direct the immune response towards the transplanted organ and influence transplant outcomes. The purpose of the study reported here is to determine whether there exist measurable differences in metabolism that can predict whether someone will have a tolerant versus rejection response towards their transplant.
We measured small molecules (metabolites) that are reflective of metabolism, in pre-transplant blood samples collected from 124 children undergoing kidney transplantation. Previous work by the Blydt-Hansen laboratory identified patterns of metabolites in adult kidney transplant recipients that are predictive of chronic rejection and poor long-term outcomes. We first determined whether the metabolite patterns identified in adults are also predictive of transplant outcomes in children. We found that the adult-derived metabolite patterns are not associated with transplant function or inflammation within the first-year post-transplant. We did find that levels of certain metabolites are associated with age and body size. In the next phase of our study, we will use statistical modelling to identify patterns of metabolites, specific to children, that can predict whether a child will develop chronic rejection.
This research will improve our understanding of factors that contribute to the risk of chronic rejection and allow us to develop a method for identifying those at high risk. In turn, this will allow us to intervene before transplant to personalize treatment and improve long-term transplant survival.