Variability in gene expression profiling test scores in post-transplant heart patients over time may provide prognostic utility for risk for organ rejection, according to a study published March 27 in Transplantation. The importance of variability in predicting clinical stability is independent of a single ordinal test score. The noninvasive, blood-based gene expression profiling test (AlloMap; XDx [Brisbane, Calif.]) incorporates expression levels of the 11 genes and was developed to minimize serial endomyocardial biopsies needed to identify heart transplant recipients at risk of rejection. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved test to date has been used to rule out acute cellular rejection. The researchers analyzed data from patients participating in the Monitoring Attenuation by Gene Expression Profiling (IMAGE) study, with rejection surveillance gene expression profiling tests performed at one- to six-month intervals. For most patients (86 percent) surveillance began 12 months post-transplantation. The standard deviation of an individual’s cumulative test scores was used to define variability in gene expression profiling scores. Over a median follow-up of 19 months, 297 patients were monitored with gene expression profiling (mean, 4.4 tests) and 305 patients were monitored with biopsies. Rates of adverse events were similar between the groups. Being nonwhite, younger at time of […]