Marginal Impact of Tocilizumab Monotherapy on Anti-HLA Alloantibodies in Highly Sensitized Kidney Transplant Candidates
Mélanie Daligault, Béatrice Bardy, Johan Noble, Anne Bourdin, Dominique Masson, Hamza Naciri Bennani, Mathilde Bugnazet, Paolo Malvezzi, Lionel Rostaing, Thomas Jouvé
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Highly HLA-sensitized kidney transplant candidates are difficult to desensitize, which reduces their chances of receiving a transplant. METHODS: We administered tocilizumab as a monotherapy (8 mg/kg once a mo) to 14 highly sensitized kidney transplant candidates. Highest mean fluorescence intensities of anti-HLA antibodies obtained before and after tocilizumab administration were compared from raw and diluted sera. RESULTS: The administration of tocilizumab significantly reduced dominant anti-HLA antibody sensitization. However, this decrease in mean fluorescence intensities was minor compared with the initial values. CONCLUSIONS: Tocilizumab as a monotherapy was not sufficient to allow highly sensitized kidney-transplant candidates to undergo transplantation and, therefore, was not an effective desensitization method.