TREATMENT OF ACUTE RENAL ALLOGRAFT REJECTION WITH MONOCLONAL ANTI-T12 ANTIBODY1,2

Abstract

Patients (19) with acute rejection of a renal allograft were treated with monoclonal antibody anti-T12, directed against a determinant present on all postthymic T cells. Seven patients had a good response, 4 had an equivocal response and 8 failed to respond. Histologic studies demonstrated that the good responders had primarily cellular rejection. The nonresponders included 4 patients with moderate-to-severe humoral rejection, 1 patient with an inadequate dose of antibody, 1 patient with late end-stage rejection. All 11 patients with good or equivocal responses have functioning kidneys in a follow-up of 1-15 mo. (mean 7 mo.). Only 1 patient has had a subsequent acute rejection episode, which responded to a steroid pulse. No significant complications of anti-T12 therapy occurred.