Study from UPMC Children’s Heart Institute on Donor-Derived Cell-Free DNA in Heart Transplantation Top 10 Most Cited Articles in Pediatric Transplantation

A study published by the Heart Institute at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in the journal Pediatric Transplantation on “Early Findings After Integration of Donor-Derived Cell-Free DNA Into Clinical Care Following Pediatric Heart Transplantation,” was one of the top 10 most cited articles from the journal in 2022-2023.

The study was led by Brian Feingold, MD, MS, professor of Pediatrics and Clinical and Translational Science, and medical director of the Heart Failure and Transplantation Programs at UPMC Children’s.

This study, conducted in a group of pediatric heart transplant patients at UPMC Children’s provided the first real-world clinical data on the feasibility, reliability, and success of using donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) testing in lieu of endomyocardial biopsy as part of routine post-transplantation care and surveillance for signs of rejection in this population.

• Read a prior article from 2021 on the study summarizing its findings and clinical implications on UPMCPhysicianResources.com.

Pediatric Transplantation Study Reference and Link

Feingold B, Rose-Felker K, West SC, Zinn MD, Berman P, Moninger A, Huston A, Stinner B, Xu Q, Zeevi A, Miller SA. Early Findings After Integration of Donor-Derived Cell-Free DNA Into Clinical Care Following Pediatric Heart Transplantation. Pediatr Transplant. 2022; 26: e14124.

Further Reading and Research by Dr. Feingold and Colleagues on the Use of dd-cfDNA

• Feingold B, Rose-Felker K, West SC, Miller SA, Zinn, MD. Short Term Clinical Outcomes and Predicted Cost-Savings of dd-cfDNA-led Surveillance After Pediatric Heart Transplant. Clin Transplant. 2023 May; 37(5): e14933. Open Access.
  
  
  • Read a prior article on this later study summarizing its findings and clinical implications on UPMCPhysicianResources.com.
    
    
  • Read an article from Pitt Pediatrics on the study.