A longitudinal and transversal study was carried out in 18 CF patients with lung transplant. Their mean follow up period was 35 months and researchers collected data on lung biopsies (TBB), bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL), peripheral blood and clinical investigations. Special study focus was to investigate transcriptomics in the lung tissue, so that a genetic pattern related to different transplant outcomes would be tracked. Transcriptomics was analysed by next-generation sequencing techniques in 29 TBB of transplanted patients and in 10 normal lungs from cadaveric donors before transplantation.
In transplanted patients TBB the histological diagnosis was non-rejection in 13, acute rejection in 6 and chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) in 10. The statistical comparison of genes derived from transcriptomic study shew an upregulated pattern of 10 genes and among these 2 genes, LCN2 e CCL11, involved in immune response and inflammation appeared important. They were validated in lung tissue of CLAD patients. The definition of a genetic module correlated to CLAD potentially would represent a relevant marker leading to prompt medical intervention and improvement of clinical outcome of lung transplant.