# Patent

## Title
Diagnostic assay for lung transplant

## Abstract

Methods and compositions for determining the suitability of a lung for transplantation are described.

## Background
This application claims the benefit under 35 USC §119(e) from U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/764,382, filed Feb. 2, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.


INCORPORATION OF SEQUENCE LISTING
A computer readable form of the Sequence Listing “10723-146_SequenceListing.txt” (180326 bytes), submitted via EFS-WEB and created on Jan. 23, 2012, is herein incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a diagnostic assay for determining the suitability of a lung for transplantation into a recipient.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Currently there is no reliable biologic marker available for the assessment of donor lung grafts prior to transplantation that will predict outcome after transplantation. Donor selection is generally carried out based on a constellation of clinical findings such as: donor age, smoking history, arterial blood gas, chest radiograph findings, bronchoscopic findings and physical examination of the lung at the time of retrieval. While this is generally effective, it is an imprecise assessment and clinicians remain conservative, rejecting organs that are not clearly ideal for transplantation.1-6 
On the other hand, the shortage of donor organs is a serious problem in any type of organ transplantation, and especially so in lung transplantation.1,2,7,8 The insufficient supply of donor lungs causes prolonged waiting times and substantial waiting list mortality among potential recipients. Current empirical criteria for use of lungs from a potential organ donor were not based on any analysis of any data but have gained wide acceptance. This has lead to lung recovery on average from only 20% of the available pool. To overcome this shortage, some programs have resorted to the use of extended donors which are those that do not fit all of criteria outlined for “ideal” donor lungs.2 Extension of the donor lung pool to “non-ideal” donors may eventually lead to increased risk and post-operative complications.5 To date, we do not have reliable and reproducible markers that are able to predict the likelihood of adequate graft function or the incidence of severe ischemia-reperfusion injury. A reliable biological marker would greatly assist donor selection, would improve the safety of lung transplantation and would improve donor organ utilization.
It has been demonstrated that cytokine expression levels are associated with the degree of clinical impairment following lung transplantation.9-10 The inventors have also reported that the protein expression level of interleukin-8 (IL-8) showed significant correlation with decreased lung graft function and the incidence of severe ischemia-reperfusion injury early after reperfusion.11 These studies illustrated the possibility of using cytokine expression levels to aid clinical decision making to improve recipient outcome.
There is a need in the art for methods, kits and compositions for screening for, diagnosing or detecting risk of primary graft failure of a transplanted lung prior to transplantation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The inventors have identified biomarkers that are differentially expressed in donor lungs that are or not at risk of primary graft failure. In particular, the inventors have looked at the expression levels of genes in donor lungs and have determined that certain genes are upregulated while others are downregulated. Using this information, they have formulated a gene ratio-based diagnostic test based on the expression ratios of upregulated and downregulated gene pairs.
The invention provides methods of screening for, diagnosing or detecting risk of primary graft failure of a transplanted lung prior to transplantation using RNA expression products of biomarkers of the invention. The invention also provides compositions and kits used for screening for, detecting or diagnosing risk of primary graft failure.
One aspect of the invention is a method of screening for, diagnosing or detecting risk of primary graft failure, comprising the steps:

    
    
        (a) determining the level of RNA product of one or more biomarkers selected from the biomarkers of the invention in a sample from a donor lung; and
        (b) comparing the level of RNA products in the sample with a control, wherein detecting differential expression of the RNA products between the donor lung and the control is indicative of risk for primary graft failure.
    
    


Another aspect of the invention, is a method of screening for, diagnosing or detecting risk of primary graft failure, comprising the steps:

    
    
        (a) determining the level of RNA product of an up-regulated biomarker of the invention in a sample from a donor lung; and
        (b) determining the level of RNA product of a down-regulated biomarker of the invention in the sample from the donor lung; and
        (c) determining the gene ratio of the RNA products from step (a) and step (b) using equation 1, wherein equation 1 is
    
    






  
    
      
        
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        and, wherein a gene ratio value greater than 0 is indicative of a risk of primary graft failure.
    
    


A further aspect of the invention is a composition comprising a collection of two or more isolated nucleic acid sequences, wherein each nucleic acid sequence hybridizes to an RNA product of a biomarker of the invention or a nucleic acid sequence complementary to the RNA product, wherein the composition is used to measure the level of expression of at least two of said biomarkers. The invention also relates to specific primers and probes.
The invention also includes kits containing the nucleic acid sequences of the invention that are used to measure the RNA expression levels of products of the biomarkers of the invention.
The inventors also examined the gene expressions of key inflammatory cytokines to determine if these mRNA expression levels in the donor lung before implantation are predictive of recipient outcome after transplantation. Identifying cytokines involved in transplant rejection allows the development of a new rapid biological strategy to improve donor lung assessment, donor utilization, and recipient outcome.
The present invention provides a method of determining the suitability of a lung for transplantation by measuring cytokine levels in the lung prior to transplantation.
The inventors have shown that increased levels of IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, IL-1β showed significant correlation with decreased lung graft function and incidents of mortality after transplantation. They have also shown that IL-10 and IFN-γ appear to be protective cytokines that decrease the chance the mortality. The inventors have further shown that the ratio of IL-6/IL-10 is a highly significant predictor of transplant outcome. Specifically, the higher the ratio of IL-6/IL-10 the worse the prognosis.
In a specific embodiment, the present invention provides a method of determining the suitability of a lung for transplantation by measuring the ratio of IL-6/IL-10 in the lung prior to transplantation.
The levels of the cytokines are preferably measured by measuring mRNA levels for the cytokine using reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR). Preferably, the expression levels are measured using rapid real time RT-PCR as described in Example 3. The advantage of using rapid RT-PCR is that expression levels can be assessed in less than one hour which offers a significant advantage as the results are obtained quickly.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific examples while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described in relation to the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a histogram showing the diagnostic accuracy based on the gene ratio-based test of the invention. A: shows genes from the two-class unpaired SAM. B: shows genes from paired t-test.
FIG. 2 shows the risk of 30-day mortality based on traditional donor selection criteria using all 169 cases. ⋆ Odds ratios and 95 percent confidence intervals are shown.
FIG. 3 shows a Kaplan-Meier survival analysis of three risk groups defined by the expression ratio of IL-6/IL-10. The vertical dotted lines mark the time points of 30 days, 90 days, 1 year and 2 years respectively. A: The high risk group was defined as cases which fell into the highest quartile expression ratios of IL-6/IL-10, the intermediate risk group as those that fell in the second highest quartile and the low risk group as the remaining half of cases with lowest expression ratio. (Wilcoxon test, P=0.0004, chi-square: 15.9). B: The high risk group was defined as cases which fell into the highest 5% expression ratios of IL-6/IL-10, the intermediate risk group as those that fell in the following 45% and the low risk group as remaining half of cases with lowest expression ratio. (Wilcoxon test, P=0.0016, chi-square: 12.8)



DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
While current donor selection based on clinical findings is generally effective, the imprecise nature of the assessment forces clinicians to remain on the conservative side. A reliable biological marker would greatly assist donor selection and would ultimately improve donor organ utilization. Accordingly, the invention discloses biomarkers that are differentially expressed in donor lungs at risk or not at risk of primary graft failure.
The term “differentially expressed” or “differential expression” as used herein refers to a difference in the level of expression of the biomarkers of the invention that can be assayed by measuring the level of expression of the products of the biomarkers of the invention, such as the difference in level of RNA expressed. The term “difference in the level of expression” refers to an increase or decrease in the measurable expression level of a given biomarker as measured by the amount of RNA in a sample as compared with the measurable expression level of a given biomarker in a second sample. The term can also refer to an increase or decrease in the measurable expression level of a given biomarker in a population of samples as compared with the measurable expression level of a biomarker in a second population of samples. In one embodiment, the differential expression can be compared using the ratio of the level of expression of a given biomarker or biomarkers as compared with the expression level of the given biomarker or biomarkers of a control, wherein the ratio is not equal to 1.0. For example, an RNA is differentially expressed if the ratio of the level of expression in a first sample as compared with a second sample is greater than or less than 1.0. For example, a ratio of greater than 1, 1.2, 1.5, 1.7, 2, 3, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 or more, or a ratio less than 1, 0.8, 0.6, 0.4, 0.2, 0.1, 0.05, 0.001 or less. In another embodiment the differential expression is measured using p-value. For instance, when using p-value, a biomarker is identified as being differentially expressed as between a first and second population when the p-value is less than 0.1, preferably less than 0.05, more preferably less than 0.01, even more preferably less than 0.005, the most preferably less than 0.001.
The term “risk of primary graft failure” as used herein refers to a risk of donor lung failure in the transplantation recipient. Primary graft failure is a major cause of early death after lung transplantation.
The term “biomarker” as used herein refers to a gene that is differentially expressed in donor lungs that are at risk as compared to not at risk of primary graft failure. The biomarkers of the invention include the genes as set out in Table 1, Table 2, Table 3 and/or Table 4.
One aspect of the invention is a method of screening for, diagnosing or detecting risk of primary graft failure, comprising the steps:

    
    
        (a) determining the level of RNA product of one or more biomarkers selected from the biomarkers set out in Table 1, Table 2, Table 3 and/or Table 4 in a sample from a donor lung; and
        (b) comparing the level of RNA products in the sample with a control, wherein detecting differential expression of the RNA products between the donor lung and the control is indicative of risk for primary graft failure.
    
    


In one embodiment the method comprises determining the level of RNA product of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6-10, 11-20, 21-25, 26-30, 31-50, 51-100, 101-145 or more biomarkers of the invention. In another embodiment the method comprises determining the level of RNA product of all the biomarkers of the invention.
The phrase “screening for, diagnosing or detecting risk of primary graft failure” refers to a method or process of determining if a donor lung is at risk or not at risk of primary graft failure.
The term “RNA products of the biomarkers” as used herein refers to RNA transcripts transcribed from biomarkers of the invention. The term “RNA product” of the biomarker of the invention as used herein includes mRNA transcripts, and/or specific spliced variants of mRNA.
The term “control” as used herein refers to a sample from a donor lung or a group of donor lungs which are either known as at risk of primary graft failure or not at risk.
The term “sample” as used herein refers to any fluid, cell or tissue sample from the donor lung which can be assayed for gene expression products, particularly genes differentially expressed in donor lungs at risk or not at risk of primary graft failure.
A person skilled in the art will appreciate that a number of methods can be used to measure or detect the level of RNA products of the biomarkers of the invention within a sample, including microarrays, RT-PCR (including quantitative RT-PCR and rapid RT-PCR), nuclease protection assays, in situ hybridization, in situ RT-PCR and northern blots.
Another aspect of the invention is a method of screening for, diagnosing or detecting risk of primary graft failure, comprising the steps:

    
    
        (a) determining the level of RNA product of an up-regulated biomarker of the invention in a sample from a donor lung; and
        (b) determining the level of RNA product of a down-regulated biomarker of the invention in the sample from the donor lung; and
        (c) determining the gene ratio of the RNA products from step (a) and step (b) using equation 1, wherein equation 1 is
    
    






  
    
      
        
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        and, wherein a gene ratio value greater than 0 is indicative of a risk of primary graft failure.
    
    


The level of RNA product can optionally refer to the fold change in the level of RNA product compared to a second sample where the second sample can be a control sample or a population of control samples.
The term “up-regulated biomarker” as used herein refers to a gene that is expressed at a higher amount in donor lungs that are at risk of primary graft failure as compared to not at risk of primary graft failure. The up-regulated biomarkers of the invention include the genes set out in Table 1 and/or Table 2.
The term “down-regulated biomarker” as used herein refers to a gene that is expressed at a lower amount in donor lungs that are at risk of primary graft failure as compared to not at risk of primary graft failure. The down-regulated biomarkers of the invention include the genes set out in Table 3 and/or Table 4.
The term “gene ratio” as used herein refers to the ratio of the up-regulated biomarkers of the invention as compared to the down-regulated biomarkers of the invention and can be calculated using equation (1). A gene ratio value greater than 0 is indicative of a risk of primary graft failure. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that the gene ratio can also be the ratio of the down-regulated biomarkers of the invention as compared to the up-regulated biomarkers of the invention. In one embodiment the gene ratio is calculated for 2, 3, 4, 5, 6-10, 11-15,16-20, 21-23 or more up-regulated genes and 2, 3, 4, 5 6-10,11-15, 16-20, 21-23 or more down-regulated genes of the invention and a composite gene ratio is used to screen for, detect or diagnose risk of primary graft failure. In another embodiment the gene ratio is calculated for 20-145 or more up-regulated biomarkers and 20-30 or more down-regulated biomarkers of the invention and a composite gene ratio is used to screen for, detect or diagnose risk of primary graft failure.
In one embodiment of the invention, the gene ratio is calculated using the ratio of up-regulated (numerator) and down-regulated (denominator) biomarker pairs set out in Table 5.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the methods of the invention have greater than 70%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95% or 98% diagnostic accuracy.
Any of the methods of the invention to screen for, diagnose or detect risk of primary graft failure can be used in addition or in combination with traditional diagnostic techniques.
A further aspect of the invention is a composition comprising a collection of two or more isolated nucleic acid sequences, wherein each nucleic acid sequence hybridizes to an RNA product of a biomarker of the invention or a nucleic acid sequence complementary to the RNA product, wherein the composition is used to measure the level of expression of at least two of said biomarkers. The invention also relates to specific primers and probes.
The term “isolated nucleic acid sequence” as used herein refers to a nucleic acid substantially free of cellular material or culture medium when produced by recombinant DNA techniques, or chemical precursors, or other chemicals when chemically synthesized. An “isolated nucleic acid” is also substantially free of sequences which naturally flank the nucleic acid (i.e. sequences located at the 5′ and 3′ ends of the nucleic acid) from which the nucleic acid is derived. The term “nucleic acid” is intended to include DNA and RNA and can be either double stranded or single stranded.
The term “hybridize” refers to the sequence specific non-covalent binding interaction with a complementary nucleic acid. One aspect of the invention provides an isolated nucleotide sequence, which hybridizes to a RNA product of a biomarker of the invention or a nucleic acid sequence which is complementary to an RNA product of a biomarker of the invention. In a preferred embodiment, the hybridization is under high stringency conditions. Appropriate stringency conditions which promote hybridization are known to those skilled in the art, or can be found in Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, John Wiley & Sons, N.Y. (1989), 6.3.1 6.3.6. For example, 6.0×sodium chloride/sodium citrate (SSC) at about 45° C., followed by a wash of 2.0×SSC at 50° C. may be employed.
The stringency may be selected based on the conditions used in the wash step. By way of example, the salt concentration in the wash step can be selected from a high stringency of about 0.2×SSC at 50° C. In addition, the temperature in the wash step can be at high stringency conditions, at about 65° C.
By “at least moderately stringent hybridization conditions” it is meant that conditions are selected which promote selective hybridization between two complementary nucleic acid molecules in solution. Hybridization may occur to all or a portion of a nucleic acid sequence molecule. The hybridizing portion is typically at least 15 (e.g. 20, 25, 30, 40 or 50) nucleotides in length. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the stability of a nucleic acid duplex, or hybrids, is determined by the Tm, which in sodium containing buffers is a function of the sodium ion concentration and temperature (Tm=81.5° C.−16.6(Log 10[Na+])+0.41(%(G+C)−600/l), or similar equation). Accordingly, the parameters in the wash conditions that determine hybrid stability are sodium ion concentration and temperature. In order to identify molecules that are similar, but not identical, to a known nucleic acid molecule a 1% mismatch may be assumed to result in about a 1° C. decrease in Tm, for example if nucleic acid molecules are sought that have a >95% identity, the final wash temperature will be reduced by about 5° C. Based on these considerations those skilled in the art will be able to readily select appropriate hybridization conditions. In preferred embodiments, stringent hybridization conditions are selected. By way of example the following conditions may be employed to achieve stringent hybridization: hybridization at 5×sodium chloride/sodium citrate (SSC)/5× Denhardt's solution/1.0% SDS at Tm −5° C. based on the above equation, followed by a wash of 0.2×SSC/0.1% SDS at 60° C. Moderately stringent hybridization conditions include a washing step in 3×SSC at 42° C. It is understood, however, that equivalent stringencies may be achieved using alternative buffers, salts and temperatures. Additional guidance regarding hybridization conditions may be found in: Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, John Wiley & Sons, N.Y., 1989, 6.3.1-6.3.6 and in: Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning, a Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 1989, Vol. 3.
The term “primer” as used herein refers to a nucleic acid sequence, whether occurring naturally as in a purified restriction digest or produced synthetically, which is capable of acting as a point of synthesis of when placed under conditions in which synthesis of a primer extension product, which is complementary to a nucleic acid strand is induced (e.g. in the presence of nucleotides and an inducing agent such as DNA polymerase and at a suitable temperature and pH). The primer must be sufficiently long to prime the synthesis of the desired extension product in the presence of the inducing agent. The exact length of the primer will depend upon factors, including temperature, sequences of the primer and the methods used. A primer typically contains 15-25 or more nucleotides, although it can contain less. The factors involved in determining the appropriate length of primer are readily known to one of ordinary skill in the art.
The term “probe” as used herein refers to a nucleic acid sequence that will hybridize to a nucleic acid target sequence. In one example, the probe hybridizes to an RNA product of the biomarker of the invention or a nucleic acid sequence complementary to the RNA product of the biomarker of the invention. The length of probe depends on the hybridize conditions and the sequences of the probe and nucleic acid target sequence. In one embodiment, the probe is at least 8, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 250, 400, 500 or more nucleotides in length.
Another aspect of the invention is a kit for screening for, diagnosing or detecting risk of primary graft failure comprising any one of the isolated nucleic acid compositions of the invention and instructions for use.
The inventors prospectively collected biopsies from 169 donor lungs before implantation. Expression levels of IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α, IFN-γ and IL-1β were measured in a blinded fashion by real-time RT-PCR and then retrospectively compared to prospectively collected clinical data. Half of the cases were randomly selected for development of the prediction model for 30-day mortality and the remaining dataset was used to cross-validate it.
Of the 169 recipients, 17 (10.2%) died within 30 days after transplant. On univariate analysis, no donor factor was significantly associated with 30-day mortality. Univariate analysis of the development subset showed that IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α and IL-1β were risk factors for mortality and IL-10 and IFN-γ were protective factors. The inventors also analyzed the cytokine expression ratios of risk to protective cytokines. A stepwise logistic regression for 30-day mortality demonstrated that a model containing the ratio of IL-6/IL-10 was the most predictive (P=0.0013). When applied to the validation subgroup, the test of model fit was indeed significant (P=0.039). Based on the cytokine ratio, we defined high, intermediate and low risk groups with striking differences in survival (P=0.0003).
Multi-cytokine analysis of the donor lung graft with RT-PCR, preferably rapid RT-PCR, shows significant promise as a strategy to biologically evaluate the donor lung prior to implantation. Time-consuming platforms, such as protein assays are impractical for rapid measurement of a biological marker to predict outcome.
The above disclosure generally describes the present invention. A more complete understanding can be obtained by reference to the following specific examples. These examples are described solely for the purpose of illustration and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Changes in form and substitution of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances might suggest or render expedient. Although specific terms have been employed herein, such terms are intended in a descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation.
The following non-limiting examples are illustrative of the present invention:
EXAMPLES
Example 1
Gene Ratio-based Test on Survival After Lung Transplant
Materials:
Patient Selection
Of 359 patients who underwent lung transplantation from Dec. 1, 1997 and Mar. 31, 2005, 28 patients who died within 30 days after lung transplantation or required Extracorporeal Membrane Support (ECMO) (Poor outcome group), and 194 patients who survived over 6 months after lung transplantation (Good outcome group) were identified. Based on the clinical course, 10 of 28 patients in the Poor outcome group (P) were selected who had clear clinical primary graft failure (PGF). Following the selection of 10 P cases, 16 patients in the Good outcome group (G) were selected as controls, matched for: recipient age (±10 years), gender, primary disease, and type of operation (single or bilateral lung transplant).
Lung Sample
Based on the aforementioned patient selection, a total of 26 snap frozen donor lung samples were used for the following experiments. Donor lung tissue samples were obtained at the end of the cold ischemic period.
Methods:
Isolation of RNA and Microarray Experiments
Total RNA was prepared from lung tissue sample using TrizolTM Reagent (Invitrogen Life Technologies, Inc. Carlsbad, Calif.). Messenger RNA was purified from total RNA by use of the RNeasyTM kit (Qiagen, Valencia, Calif.) according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Hybridized microarrays were scanned using GenePixTM 4000 (Axon Instruments), and fluorescent images were analyzed with the GenePix Pro software package. GenePix Data files (.gpr) were loaded as input and the mev files (.mev) as output with TIGR ExpressConverter (version 1.7, The Institute for Genomic Research) for further data manipulation. After data conversion, data analyses were performed with MultiExperiment Viewer (version 3.0, The Institute for Genomic Research).
Microarray Data Analysis
After Lowess normalization with Microarray Data Analysis System (version 2.19, The Institute for Genomic Research), significant changes in gene expression were determined with Significance Analysis of Microarrays (SAM) and paired Student's t-test. In SAM analysis, delta value was chosen to set the false discovery rate (FDR) at a level of 1.0%, and genes with average expression levels by at least two-fold between G and P were selected as significant ones. Two-class unpaired SAM was used for analysis. In paired Student's t-test, differences with a p value of less than 0.01 were considered significant.
Calculating Gene Expression Ratios With Selected Genes
For selected genes by SAM or Student's t-test, the raw expression data within a sample was transformed into the measurement as gene expression ratio calculated as:




  
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The gene ratios were derived by dividing the expression value of each of the selected genes up-regulated in P by the expression of those down-regulated in P. Therefore, samples with log2-transformed gene ratio values greater than 0 predict poor outcome and less than 0 predict good outcome (FIG. 1). All of the significant genes selected either by SAM or paired Student's t-test were transformed into gene ratios for any combinational pairs of genes. Ultimately, the individual gene pair ratios that predicted the group membership (i.e. good outcome or poor outcome) with the highest accuracy were chosen. Strong PGF-related signals that exist in the form of gene ratios were identified. The diagnostic accuracies of gene ratio were calculated by the following formula.




  
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Initial Gene Selection

There were 4 one-to-one matched pairs and 6 one-to-two matched patient pairs (i.e. P and G). Using SAM, the 145 most significantly up-regulated genes in P (Table 1) and 30 most down-regulated genes in P compared to G (Table 3) were identified. Using paired Student's t-test, 23 most up-regulated genes (Table 2) and the 4 most down-regulated genes (Table 4) were identified.
Gene Ratio-based Test
Using the significant genes derived from two-class unpaired SAM, a total of 4350 possible expression ratios per sample was calculated. A frequency histogram of diagnostic accuracy of all 4350 gene ratios is shown in FIG. 1A. Of these gene ratios, a combination of 3 individual gene ratios predicted the outcome with high diagnostic accuracy: 92, 88, and 88%. Using the genes from paired Student's t-test, a total of 92 gene ratios (FIG. 1B) were identified. Of these, 1 gene ratio achieved diagnostic accuracy of 92%, and 10 gene ratios showed 88.5% of accuracy. The summary of the gene ratios with high diagnostic accuracy are shown in Table 5.
In summary, an expression ratio-based outcome predictor model for lung transplantations was identified. In particular, microarray data was used to identify the ratios of gene expression whose values could be used to discriminate among donor lung samples that came from patients with considerably different outcome. This is useful in a ratio-based test of key selected genes for a diagnostic strategy to more accurately assess donor lungs for transplantation.
Example 2
The inventors prospectively collected lung graft biopsies taken from 169 donor lungs at the end of the cold ischemia Oust prior to implantation) from May 1998 to April 2003 (Table 6). Biopsy samples were immediately snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at −80° C. for subsequent analysis. Biopsies of the donor lung were taken prior to implantation or excess lung tissue in donor lungs was used and reduced in size to fit the recipients. Expression levels of IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-1β mRNA were measured in a blinded fashion by quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). Prospectively collected clinical data were analyzed retrospectively and then compared to cytokine expression data. The primary end-point was 30-day mortality.
To develop and validate a predictive model for death within 30 days, the 169 cases were randomly assigned to a development group (84 cases) and a validation group (85 cases) (Table 6). In the process of development of the predictive model, all cytokines and possible ratios of risk/protective cytokines were considered for inclusion in a stepwise logistic regression model.
Assessment of Conventional Donor Selection Criteria
A retrospective review of medical records was conducted for all 169 cases. In this series of patients, “extended” donors were defined as those with: a donor age of ≧55, PaO2/FiO2 of <300 mmHg, smoking history of ≧20 pack-years, abnormal chest X-ray findings, abnormal bronchoscopic findings, positive sputum gram stain, duration of mechanical ventilation of >72 hr, and ABO status of non-identical (but compatible). These were analyzed with respect to the outcome of death within 30 days.
Measurement of Gene Expression
The primers used to amplify cytokine mRNA were designed using Primer3 website developed by the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. Forward and reverse primers respectively used for real-time PCR are shown in Table 9.
Total RNA was extracted from lung tissue with an RNeasyTM Mini Kit (Qiagen), according to the manufacturer's instructions. cDNA was synthesized from total RNA using MultiScribeTM Reverse Transcriptase and random hexamers from TaqmanTM Reverse Transcription Reagent kit (Applied Biosystems). The reaction mix (20 μl) for reverse transcription contained 2.0 μl of 10× Taq Man RT Buffer, 4.4 μl of 25 mM magnesium chloride, 4.0 μl of 2.5 mM deoxy NTPs mixture, 1.0 μl of 50 μM random hexamers, 0.4 μl of 20 U/μl RNase inhibitor, 0.5 μl of 50 U/μl MultiScribeTM Reverse Transcriptase and 7.7 μl of RNase-free H2O with 500 ng of total RNA. The mixture was incubated at 25° C. for 10 min, at 48° C. for 30 min for reverse transcription and at 95° C. for 5 min for reverse transcriptase inactivation. Reactions were diluted to 60 μl with RNase-free water and stored at −20° C.
PCR amplification mixtures (30 μl ) contained 75 ng template cDNA, 15 μof 2 x QuantiTect SYBR GreenTM PCR kit (Qiagen) and 300 nM forward and reverse primers. Reactions were run on an ABI PRISM 9700HT® (Applied Biosystems). Conditions for PCR included 95° C. for 15 min, and 40 cycles of 94° C. for 15 sec (denaturation) and 60° C. for 60 sec (annealing/extension). Each assay included a standard curve of five serial dilutions and a no-template negative standard. All assays were performed in duplicate. The expression level of cytokines was normalized to the level of 18S ribosomal RNA.
Statistical Analyses
Statistical analyses were performed with JMP version 5.0 and the SAS System version 8.2 (SAS Institute). In order to compare cytokine expression levels between two groups, the Student's t-test was used with log2-transformed data of each cytokine expression level due to non-normally distributed raw values. The influence of donor clinical variables and cytokines on recipient mortality was evaluated by univariate logistic regression analysis to calculate odds ratios, 95 percent confidence intervals and area under receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curves. Stepwise analysis was then used to select and identify the most important independent predictors of recipient outcome. Survival curves were plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method and the difference in survival among high, intermediate and low expression groups was analyzed with the Wilcoxon test. The odds ratio and 95 percent confidence interval of high risk group compared to the low risk group were calculated using logistic regression analysis. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results
Of the 169 recipients, 17 (10.2%) died within 30 days of transplant: 5 from primary graft failure, 4 from sepsis, 4 from cardiac failure, 2 from pulmonary embolism, 1 from hepatic failure and 1 from stoke. On analysis of traditional donor selection criteria, no donor factor significantly predicted 30-day mortality (FIG. 2).
The inventors compared the expression levels of cytokines between patients who died within 30 days and those who survived, with the Student's t-test using log2-transformed expression levels. Expression levels of IL-6, IL-8 and IL-1β in donor lungs were significantly higher in recipients that died within 30 days (P=0.0005, 0.048 and 0.013 respectively). TNF-α tended to be expressed at higher levels in poor prognosis cases although this difference was not statistically significant (P=0.089). Patients with poor outcomes tended to have lower levels of IL-10 and IFN-γ in donor lungs.
The inventors performed a univariate logistic regression analysis of these cytokines for 30-day mortality on the 84 cases in the development group (Table 7). IL-6 was found to be a highly significant risk factor (P=0.010, area under ROC curve: 0.679) for poor outcome and IL-1β, IL-8 and TNF-α tended to be risk factors. On the other hand, IL-10 and IFN-γ tended to be protective factors although these did not achieve significance. The value of cytokine expression ratios of “risk” cytokines to “protective” cytokines were then investigated in order to improve the prediction model. A stepwise logistic regression for 30-day mortality using individual cytokine expressions and possible combinations of the cytokine ratios demonstrated that a model containing ratio of IL-6/IL-10 was the most predictive (P=0.0013, area under ROC curve: 0.735) (Table 7). When applied to the validation group, the test of model fit was also significant (P=0.039, area under ROC curve: 0.716).
In order to examine the influence of the cytokine ratio on long term survival, the inventors defined two cut-off points based on the expression ratio of IL-6/IL-10 at the highest quartile, second highest quartile, and the lower half to classify high, intermediate, and low risk groups (Table 10 and 11). These groups had striking differences in both early and late survival (FIG. 3A, P=0.0004, chi-square: 15.9). Sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive values of the high risk group for 30-day mortality of recipients were: 52.9%, 78.3% and 21.4% respectively. Odds ratio for 30-day mortality of the high risk group compared with the low risk group as the reference was 5.5 (95 percent confidence interval: 1.7-21.3) (Table 8). Alternatively, if the high risk group is defined as the highest 5% (instead of 25%) IL-6/IL-10 ratio, to more stringently predict poor outcome lung, 8 patients fell in this group (Table 12 and 13). Sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive values of this high risk group for 30-day mortality were: 23.5%, 97.4% and 50.0% respectively. In this case, odds ratio for death within 30 days of the high risk group compared to the low risk group was 20.0 (95 percent confidence interval: 3.6-121.3) (Table 8).
Discussion
According to the Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, the 1-year survival after lung transplantation is approximately 70%, and most of the deaths occur within 30 days of transplantation. The main cause of death in this period is primary graft dysfunction. In this study, 17 recipients died within 30 days, five died from primary graft failure and the remaining 12 died from other causes. With current donor selection processes, recipient deaths from primary graft failure are quite rare (5/169) although we cannot exclude the possibility of impact of graft dysfunction on other causes of early death. The inventors thus chose 30-day mortality from all causes as the primary end point of the study. To attribute primary graft dysfunction, we carefully considered initial blood gases, chest X-ray, microbiological studies and other criteria. Cause of death was assigned prospectively by the clinical team, independent of the current analysis. Despite the clinical importance of primary graft failure, prediction with current donor selection criteria is imprecise (FIG. 2) and some criteria such as chest radiograph evaluation are subjective. Here we demonstrate that a logistic regression model containing IL-6/IL-10 measured in the donor lung before implantation significantly predicts recipient 30-day mortality.
In this example, the inventors demonstrated that the degree of inflammation in donor lung biopsies examined by the expression level of multiple cytokines was predictive of recipient short-term (Table 8) and also long-term (FIG. 3) outcomes. This evidence supports a novel concept that the inflammatory situation in the donor lung not only has an impact in inducing ischemia-reperfusion injury, but also leads to lung dysfunction in the sub-acute and chronic phase.
The inventors measured mRNA expression levels of key cytokines potentially involved in ischemia-reperfusion injury during lung transplantation. Fisher and coworkers have demonstrated that high mRNA expression levels of IL-8 in donor bronchoalveolar lavage are associated with early graft failure after lung transplantation. The inventors have previously reported on the relationship between protein expression level of IL-8 in lung biopsies taken two hours after reperfusion and graft function after transplantation. In the current study, although IL-8 tended to be high in non-survivors, the level of IL-6 turned out to be far more significant as a marker to predict recipient outcome on univariate individual cytokine analysis. To investigate which cytokine or cytokine ratio is the best marker for the prediction of recipient outcome, we selected cases for modeling and cross-validation by randomly assigning them to either a development or validation dataset, particularly because there might have been changes and improvements in the outcome of transplantation over the study period due to refinement of surgical techniques and postoperative management as well as donor selection and management. In the development group, the regression model demonstrated that IL-6/IL10 was the best marker to predict recipient 30-day mortality. The validation group successfully validated this finding.
From the differential distribution of expression patterns of all the cytokines examined, it became evident that analysis of the balance of multiple cytokines is ultimately likely to be more informative than examining a single cytokine alone. Cytokines have been classified as “pro” and “anti” inflammatory according to their roles in inflammatory responses. The inventors' initial plan to examine the ratios was based on the biological plausibility of the concept and the fact that the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines has been used to predict patient outcome in other forms of lung injury. Indeed, IL-10, which is thought to be an anti-inflammatory cytokine, had relatively lower levels in the poor prognosis cases in our study. This was generally in the opposite direction to the expression pattern of IL-8 which is an inflammatory chemokine and TNF-α and IL-1β which are typical pro-inflammatory cytokines. These pro-inflammatory cytokines had relatively higher expression levels in cases with poor recipient outcomes. Interestingly, IFN-γ had an expression pattern quite similar to IL-10 although IFN-γ is generally felt to be a pro-inflammatory cytokine. As discussed above, IL-6 had significantly higher expression levels in the cases of death within 30 days and this expression pattern was quite similar to that of IL-8. In fact, there is some controversy as to the role of IL-6 in inflammation, more recently it has been thought to have some anti-inflammatory properties. Regardless of what is currently known about the specific functions of each cytokine examined, based on the univariate logistic regression analysis, we investigated the cytokine ratios of the “risk” cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α and IL-1β) for poor recipient outcome to “protective” cytokines (IL-10 and IFN-γ). The stepwise regression model demonstrated that IL-6/IL-10 was the best overall marker to predict the recipient early outcome. A similar strategy to predict patient outcomes has been utilized in previous reports, showing the ratio of the most up-regulated genes to the most down-regulated genes.
Furthermore, the measurement of mRNA ratios has an inherent advantage in the methodology of quantification on most PCR platforms. In this study, we normalized the cytokine expression levels to levels of 18S ribosomal RNA. The measurement of the cytokine expression ratio using the same amount of cDNA transcribed from total RNA ultimately obviates the need for endogenous controls, which are eventually cancelled out in the process of calculating a ratio. This strategy improves accuracy in measurement for actual clinical use.
In conclusion, this example study demonstrates that the cytokine ratio of IL-6 to IL-10 in the donor lung before implantation significantly predicts recipient early mortality and late survival after lung transplantation. Quantitative RT-PCR multiple cytokine analysis of the donor lungs shows significant promise as a strategy to biologically evaluate the donor lung before implantation.
Example 3
As described in Example 2, the cytokine ratio of IL-6 to IL-10 in the donor lung before implantation significantly predicts early mortality and late survival in lung transplant recipients. The use of rapid RT-PCR assay provides the expression level in less than 1 hr from tissues-bringing this technology into the realm of clinical utility.
IL-6 and IL-10 gene expression levels were measured by quantitative multiplex rapid RT-PCR using SmartCycler II® (Cephied) in total RNA isolated from donor lung biopsies (n=52) taken at the end of the cold ischemic period (just prior to implantation). Samples for analysis were selected to represent a spectrum of outcomes after lung transplantation.
Total time to finish the rapid RT-PCR process with 40 cycles took 23 minutes compared to 2 hr 15 min with conventional real-time PCR using PRISM 7900HT® (Applied Biosystem). Correlation of measurements between conventional real-time RT-PCR and rapid RT-PCR was excellent (Spearman correlation coefficient: 0.93, P<0.0001). The five patients that died from primary graft failure and the ten patients that died within 30 days were successfully identified as a group of higher expression ratios of IL-6/IL-10 using both PCR techniques.
Multiple cytokine analysis of the donor lungs with quantitative multiplex rapid RT-PCR correlates well with the conventional RT-PCR analysis of donor lungs, showing significant promise as a strategy to biologically evaluate donor lungs prior to implantation.
Example 4
Ratio Based Test for Detecting Risk of Primary Graft Failure
A sample is obtained from a transplant lung. The sample may be obtained pre-implantation. The sample is assayed for gene expression products of one or more gene pairs listed in Table 5 and/or Table 7. The expression level of each gene (RNA product) is compared to a second sample and/or a standard curve. The second sample may be a control sample. The fold change (increase or decrease) in the expression level of the gene product is determined. The gene ratio is calculated using Equation 1 using the fold change in the expression level of the RNA product. A gene ratio value of greater than 0 is indicative of a risk of primary graft failure whereas a gene ratio value of less than 0 predicts a good outcome. One or more gene ratios can be used to detect the risk of primary graft failure. Alternatively a gene chip comprising one or more of the gene pairs listed in Table 5 and/or Table 7 can be used to assay a sample for the level of gene expression products. Further, one or more gene ratios can be used in combination with standard clinical findings.
While the present invention has been described with reference to what are presently considered to be preferred examples, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed examples. To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
All publications, patents and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference in its entirety.
REFERENCES


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    2. de Perrot M, Liu M, Waddell T K, Keshavjee S. Ischemia-reperfusion-induced lung injury. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2003; 167:490-511.
    3. Ware L B, Wang Y, Fang X, et al. Assessment of lungs rejected for transplantation and implications for donor selection. Lancet 2002; 360:619-20.
    4. Smits J M, Mertens B J, Van Houwelingen H C, Haverich A, Persijn G G, Laufer G. Predictors of lung transplant survival in eurotransplant. Am J Transplant 2003; 3:1400-6.
    5. Pierre A F, Sekine Y, Hutcheon M A, Waddell T K, Keshavjee S H. Marginal donor lungs: a reassessment. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2002; 123:421-7; discussion, 427-8.
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    7. Whiting D, Banerji A, Ross D, et al. Liberalization of donor criteria in lung transplantation. Am Surg 2003; 69:909-12.
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TABLE 1







Up-regulated genes, SAM, False discovery rate = 1%, Fold change >2













GenBank







Accession
Fold


Unigene ID
No.
change
q-value (%)
gene name
biologic process















Hs.546472
N28396
2.0628278
0.927213
Not found
Not found


Hs.446240
R10799
2.0815518
0.927213
Protein kinase C binding protein 1
Cell cycle


No unigene ID
W31733
2.4518194
0.921071
Not found
Not found


Hs.531810
AA011361
3.1125834
0.89853895
CDNA FLJ44597 fis, clone BLADE2006043
Unknown


No unigene ID
R77593
2.096404
0.8680789
Not found
Not found


Hs.435773
T75076
2.0076187
0.8556372
Interferon responsive gene 15
Unknown


No unigene ID
H05203
2.0270216
0.8556372
Not found
Not found


Hs.445711
W79001
2.1802237
0.8270397
Phosphodiesterase 3B
Signal transduction


No unigene ID
R96585
2.3431523
0.8270397
Not found
Not found


Hs.128824
R81942
2.6194618
0.8228826
Oligophrenin 1
Neurogenesis


Hs.475319
T86042
2.1779134
0.4878951
Leucine rich repeat interacting protein 2
LRR domain binding


Hs.371001
T84174
2.0473
0.8228826
Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3
Protein biosynthesis


Hs.471514
AA011354
2.2281156
0.81526273
Hypothetical protein DKFZp547E052
Unknown


No unigene ID
R22088
2.0841908
0.80211014
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
R06168
2.1107354
0.72517955
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
R52015
2.6535978
0.70619524
Not found
Not found


Hs.350756
R28601
2.1723046
0.68537354
Staufen
Double-stranded RNA binding


Hs.401232
AA056540
2.488967
0.68537354
Similar to FLJ46489 protein
Unknown


No unigene ID
T70366
2.2288318
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


Hs.369921
H71281
2.1109807
0.68537354
Vav 2
G-protein coupled receptor







protein signaling pathway


Hs.75231
R16207
2.117395
0.68726254
AKR7 family pseudogene
Unknown


Hs.502777
T66987
2.0586095
0.727441
DKFZP564J0863 protein
GTPase activity


Hs.324746
AL564444
2.4749284
0.727441
Alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein
Acute-phase response


unigene ID
H91761
2.3955183
0.6917268
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
AA035085
2.012221
0.6626049
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
W79023
2.047425
0.6626049
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
N49632
2.0929964
0.674845
Not found
Not found


Hs.532855
AW957880
2.1319568
0.674845
Similar to GNGT1 protein
Unknown


No unigene ID
R00201
2.2268727
0.6301978
Not found
Not found


Hs.245931
R07141
2.2721915
0.63752574
Transcribed locus
Unknown


No unigene ID
AA058399
2.0456698
0.63752574
Not found
Not found


Hs.132406
AI982772
2.229496
0.63752574
CDNA clone IMAGE: 4821555
Unknown


No unigene ID
BM837817
3.9263227
0.62067074
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
R08416
2.074499
0.62067074
Not found
Not found


Hs.444329
H70001
2.2020042
0.63037956
Glypican 6
Integral to plasma membrane


Hs.162868
H85606
2.1423795
0.63037956
D4, zinc and double PHD fingers, family 3
Zinc ion binding


No unigene ID
BG259125
2.7876737
0.61551964
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
R00423
2.429745
0.6169138
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
R24553
2.3528388
0.6169138
Not found
Not found


Hs.387623
T70868
2.0004554
0.6254132
Zinc finger protein 169
Regulation of transcription


Hs.162795
H66270
2.0877182
0.5868042
Hydroxysteroid (17-beta) dehydrogenase 2
Estrogen biosynthesis


Hs.118118
H37857
3.002699
0.5874858
Tetraspanin 5
Integral to membrane


No unigene ID
N72782
2.7524335
0.5874858
Not found
Not found


Hs.418167
BG569034
2.3697793
0.56254894
Albumin
Transport


No unigene ID
N98311
4.168716
0.56254894
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
T98711
2.3060555
0.57929975
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
R59802
2.5892458
0.56390774
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
R13862
2.434447
0.5432861
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
H70162
2.2606342
0.5432861
Not found
Not found


Hs.33102
H84844
2.0878623
0.5432861
Transcription factor AP-2 beta
Transcription/Neurogenesis


No unigene ID
AA156894
2.8526988
0.5432861
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
T70440
3.1960385
0.55269367
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
W78898
2.2309666
0.55269367
Not found
Not found


Hs.292026
T93745
2.0013666
0.55269367
Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E
Regulation of translation






member 2


No unigene ID
T97966
2.8168771
0.55269367
Not found
Not found


Hs.464912
R10278
2.0815163
0.49659443
Hypothetical protein FLJ10656
Kinase activity


No unigene ID
AA115234
2.07074
0.49659443
Not found
Not found


Hs.269775
T99914
2.027747
0.4878951
Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase
Kinase activity






kinase 7 interacting protein 2


Hs.480281
H23906
3.9246862
0.4878951
Glutamate receptor, ionotropic, delta 2
Ionotropic glutamate







receptor activity


Hs.509872
R06568
2.0822086
0.4878951
Regulator of G-protein signalling 6
Intracellular signaling cascade


No unigene ID
T80447
2.1294878
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
H06620
2.9205055
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


Hs.268803
H41577
2.4567091
0.4878951
Transcribed locus, moderately similar to
Unknown






XP_227769.2 PREDICTED: similar to






Ac1147 [Rattus norvegicus]


No unigene ID
H18883
2.6860607
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
N31017
2.0115986
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
R19723
3.008867
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


Hs.415842
T81862
2.3415568
0.4878951
RNA binding motif protein 18
Nucleic acid binding


No unigene ID
H11931
2.3123705
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
R66260
3.1314466
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


Hs.37883
T81115
2.077185
0.4878951
Chromosome 18 open reading frame 21
Unknown


Hs.152774
N31674
2.1845584
0.4878951
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 2 (juvenile)
Neurotransmitter transport






chromosome region, candidate 3


Hs.492445
T83285
2.0564806
0.4878951
E3 ubiquitin protein ligase, HECT domain
Cell proliferation






containing 1


Hs.36959
H68949
2.2708952
0.4878951
Testis expressed sequence 27
Zinc ion binding/DNA binding


No unigene ID
W94979
2.0376163
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


Hs.513528
T82120
4.296239
0.4878951
Integrin, alpha D
Cell-cell adhesion


Hs.199877
T75384
2.0949662
0.4878951
Copine IV
Membrane trafficking


Hs.306291
R10306
2.3038788
0.4878951
Hypothetical protein FLJ11712
Unknown


No unigene ID
W87872
2.5315652
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


Hs.517493
R11878
2.2182956
0.4878951
Adrenergic, beta, receptor kinase 2
Signal transducer activity


Hs.126980
T78275
4.708315
0.4878951
Phosphodiesterase 7B
Hydrolase activity


Hs.497148
T81523
2.699405
0.4878951
Ral guanine nucleotide dissociation
Small GTPase mediated signal






stimulator-like 1
transduction


Hs.293736
AA632632
2.0348194
0.4878951
Activity-dependent neuroprotector
Regulation of transcription,







DNA-dependent


No unigene ID
R10608
3.6907012
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


Hs.479669
R81620
2.055763
0.4878951
TXK tyrosine kinase
Intracellular signaling cascade


No unigene ID
R52939
2.063447
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
R51938
2.9239776
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
R06804
2.4831643
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
N59038
2.1996408
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


Hs.444783
H50042
2.397501
0.4878951
Neuregulin 3
Regulation of cell growth


No unigene ID
N45540
2.3523571
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


Hs.194152
T87019
2.0250046
0.4878951
Clone IMAGE: 115304 mRNA sequence
Unknown


Hs.479783
N27994
2.1842208
0.4878951
KIAA1211 protein
Unknown


Hs.175955
H18766
2.4879994
0.4878951
Splicing factor YT521-B
Nuclear mRNA splicing, via







spliceosome


No unigene ID
T80910
2.4734857
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


Hs.401316
AA046598
2.3045576
0.4878951
Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1
Regulation of cell growth


Hs.20225
AA046677
2.2553365
0.4878951
Similar to SRR1-like protein
Secretory pathway


No unigene ID
H03900
3.4048715
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


Hs.120950
W86154
2.1993437
0.4878951
Rhesus blood group-associated
Ammonium transport






glycoprotein


No unigene ID
AA147249
3.4492323
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


Hs.388297
N72811
2.050307
0.4878951
Chromosome 8 open reading frame 36
Unknown


No unigene ID
AA128257
3.9887383
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
N30932
2.2592316
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


Hs.483784
T80689
3.1107001
0.4878951
SH3 domain and tetratricopeptide repeats 2
Binding


Hs.298987
R21229
2.72001
0.4878951
Transcribed locus, weakly similar to
Unknown






NP_997354.1 FLJ42200 protein [Homo






sapiens]


No unigene ID
BM715797
2.0446796
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
W86352
2.202049
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


Hs.530871
R24757
2.2490969
0.4878951
Phosphodiesterase 1B
Calmodulin binding


Hs.133331
T84382
2.021822
0.4878951
WD repeat domain 31
Unknown


Hs.518410
H15520
2.294862
0.4878951
Hypothetical gene supported by AK055127;
Unknown






BC053586; BC067863


Hs.99145
BF743825
2.1901598
0.4878951
KIAA1423
Unknown


Hs.420541
AA147516
2.1157634
0.4878951
KIAA1202 protein
Unknown


Hs.314338
R22345
2.8156624
0.4878951
Bromodomain and WD repeat domain
Cell cycle






containing 1


No unigene ID
AA150082
2.1328883
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
N31177
2.243383
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


Hs.31824
H21441
2.0047147
0.4878951
Similar to nonhistone chromosomal protein
Unknown






HMG-1 - pig


Hs.380774
W92173
2.0128908
0.4878951
DEAD (Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp) box polypeptide
Hydrolase activity






3, X-linked


Hs.444314
H84096
2.0893362
0.4878951
Family with sequence similarity 59, member A
Sugar binding


No unigene ID
AA036919
2.7386656
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
N56650
3.3542788
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


Hs.548299
T70759
2.108763
0.4878951
Transcribed locus, moderately similar to
Unknown






XP_518970.1 PREDICTED: similar to






GLCCI1 protein [Pan troglodytes]


Hs.443417
T84865
2.1337478
0.4878951
Misshapen-like kinase 1 (zebrafish)
ATP binding


Hs.167805
W78878
2.8728664
0.4878951
Enhancer of polycomb homolog 1
Regulation of cell growth






(Drosophila)


Hs.527348
N73140
2.2147274
0.4878951
A kinase (PRKA) anchor protein (yotiao) 9
Signal transduction


No unigene ID
T82272
2.1303232
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


Hs.381126
AA150120
2.8500893
0.4878951
Ribosomal protein S14
Protein biosynthesis


Hs.458609
AA148531
2.2203183
0.4878951
Dipeptidylpeptidase 8
Immune response


Hs.461030
BF448352
3.1407957
0.4878951
Hypothetical protein MGC11335
Electron transport


Hs.12967
N53777
2.4134035
0.4878951
Spectrin repeat containing, nuclear
Nuclear organization and






envelope 1
biogenesis


Hs.437941
W93001
2.2315507
0.4878951
Chromosome 14 open reading frame 106
DNA binding


Hs.509909
R00922
2.0990689
0.4878951
Numb homolog (Drosophila)
Integral to plasma membrane


Hs.201925
AA039425
2.037318
0.4878951
CDNA FLJ13446 fis, clone PLACE1002968
Unknown


Hs.12409
R20699
2.175671
0.4878951
Somatostatin
Hormone activity


unigene ID
H30091
2.39441
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
H02110
2.39607
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
T99420
2.6466935
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


No unigene ID
R31008
2.0042918
0.4878951
Not found
Not found


Hs.503743
R21289
3.4334402
0.4878951
Glutamate receptor, ionotrophic, AMPA 4
Glutamate-gated ion







channel activity


Hs.494648
T75327
2.1501877
0.4878951
Testis expressed sequence 10
Mitotic chromosome







condensation


Hs.128959
N79346
2.1184788
0.4878951
PCF11
MRNA cleavage


Hs.49787
R23053
3.3270438
0.4878951
Latent transforming growth factor beta
Unknown






binding protein 1


No unigene ID
AA12879
2.1876402
0.4878951
Not found
Not found
















TABLE 2







Up-regulated genes, Paired t-test, p < 0.01











GenBank





Accession




Unigene ID
No.
Gene name
Function





Hs.388715
H58023
Hypothetical protein LOC285733
Unknown


No
T95563
cDNA clone IMAGE: 120597
Unknown


Unigene ID





Hs.59486
R25303
Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase like 2
Germ line formation


Hs.102788
AU135696
Mannosidase, alpha, class 1A, member 1
Calcium ion binding, Carbohydrate metabolism


Hs.533683
R93496
Fibroblast growth factor receptor 2
Protein-tyrosine kinase activity, Fibroblast growth factor





receptor activity


Hs.406460
AA131718
Hypothetical protein FLJ33814
Unknown


Hs.446559
N44262
Full-length cDNA clone CS0DK010YA20 of
Unknown




HeLa cells Cot 25-normalized of Homo sapiens



Hs.478429
W61184
ATPase, Class VI, type 11B
Phospholipid-translocating ATPase activity


Hs.4267
R55942
Hypothetical protein LOC284244



Hs.501991
N95487
Male sterility domain containing 2
Catalytic activity, Nucleotide-sugar metabolism


Hs.490892
H10810
Microcephaly, primary autosomal recessive 1
Unknown


No
R27946
cDNA clone IMAGE: 134643
Unknown


Unigene ID





Hs.444450
BQ049778
Egl nine homolog 1 (C. elegans)
Oxidoreductase activity


Hs.655996
T85025
Transcribed locus
Unknown


Hs.298250
N51782
Methionine aminopeptidase 1D
Hydrolase activity, Methionyl aminopeptidase activity


Hs.202676
BG218793
Synaptonemal complex protein 2
Cytokinesis, Cell cycle, Meiosis


Hs.31181
BE741477
G protein-coupled receptor 157
Receptor activity, Rhodopsin-like receptor activity


Hs.390788
AA127934
Protein kinase, X-linked
ATP binding, CAMP-dependent protein kinase activity


Hs.183114
H13748
Rho GTPase activating protein 28
Viral release, Membrane


No
AA128279
cDNA clone IMAGE: 503368
Unknown


Unigene ID





Hs.471040
H85748
Hypothetical protein FLJ38973
Unknown


Hs.402201
W04859
Transcribed locus
Unknown
















TABLE 3







Down-regulated genes, SAM, False discovery rate = 1%, Fold change >2













GenBank







Accession


Unigene ID
No.
Fold change
q-value (%)
gene name
biologic process















Hs.1012
H53489
0.32839206
0
Complement component 4 binding
Immune response






protein, alpha


Hs.512690
W20504
0.36700642
0.70644385
Surfactant, pulmonary-associated protein B
Respiratory gaseous exchange


Hs.159410
BM549033
0.49381673
0.70644385
Molybdenum cofactor synthesis 3
Ligase activity


Hs.514167
H39942
0.43082207
0.70644385
Keratin 19
Structural constituent of







cytoskeleton


Hs.533977
BM876583
0.4029923
0.70644385
Thioredoxin interacting protein
Biological process unknown


Hs.335163
T80552
0.39215165
0.70644385
KIAA1102 protein
Zinc ion binding/Actin binding


Hs.531561
R32270
0.3497418
0.70644385
Epithelial membrane protein 2
Cell death


Hs.517033
R78823
0.46325094
0.70644385
Transglutaminase 2
Calcium ion binding


Hs.136348
W35228
0.43969637
0.70644385
Periostin, osteoblast specific factor
Cell adhesion


Hs.76686
BG749189
0.4963755
0.70644385
Glutathione peroxidase 1
Oxidoreductase activity


Hs.411501
H03673
0.38164517
0.70644385
Keratin 7
Structural molecule activity


Hs.445570
R60600
0.48795268
0.70644385
CD63 antigen
Growth regulation(Integral to







membrane)


No Unigene ID
AV751900
0.4769848
0.70644385
Not found
Not found


No Unigene ID
W52918
0.38437593
0.70644385
Not found
Not found


Hs.191179
W32118
0.49867186
0.70644385
RAB11 family interacting protein 1 (class I)
intracellular transport


Hs.411501
H27480
0.40039435
0.70644385
Keratin 7
Structural molecule activity


Hs.411501
R26301
0.33074313
0.70644385
Keratin 7
Structural molecule activity


Hs.527412
R25315
0.48579264
0.70644385
N-acylsphingosine amidohydrolase (acid
Carboxylic acid metabolism






ceramidase) 1


Hs.525013
AA125974
0.43524563
0.70644385
Keratin, type II cytoskeletal 8
the intermediate filament family


Hs.391561
W15147
0.4739932
0.70644385
Fatty acid binding protein 4, adipocyte
Transport


Hs.111779
BG682138
0.47975752
0.70644385
Secreted protein, acidic, cysteine-rich
Ossification






(osteonectin)


Hs.284122
W38638
0.46349898
0.70644385
WNT inhibitory factor 1
Cell-cell signaling


Hs.3972
R28538
0.48654044
0.70644385
ST6 (alpha-N-acetyl-neuraminyl-2,3-beta-
Glycolipid metabolism






galactosyl-1,3)-N-acetylgalactosaminide






alpha-2,6-sialyltransferase 4


Hs.12271
R54646
0.46289408
0.7104939
F-box and leucine-rich repeat protein 6
Ubiquitin conjugating enzyme







activity


Hs.116471
H25460
0.4515923
0.72283244
Cadherin 11, type 2, OB-cadherin
Homophilic cell adhesion






(osteoblast)


Hs.435228
R66683
0.49485594
0.7329108
Synaptopodin
Actin binding


Hs.155342
H11139
0.47693178
0.790798
Protein kinase C, delta
ATP binding


No Unigene ID
H16541
0.49378946
0.790798
Not found
Not found


Hs.233240
BM996939
0.47034127
0.8530723
Collagen, type VI, alpha 3
Cell adhesion


Hs.309288
R12062
0.47955394
0.9925388
CUG triplet repeat, RNA binding protein 2
Regulation of heart contraction







rate
















TABLE 4







Down-regulated genes, Paired t-test, p < 0.01











GenBank





Accession




Unigene ID
No.
Gene name
Funciton





Hs.503594
H08943
Angiomotin like 1
muscle contraction


Hs.98791
W04463
ARP1 actin-related
Motor activity,




protein 1 homolog B,
Protein binding




centractin beta (yeast)



Hs.412196
H19027
Estrogen-related
Receptor activity




receptor beta like 1



Hs.512690
W20504
Surfactant, pulmonary-
Respiratory gaseous




associated protein B
exchange, Regulation





of liquid surface





tension
















TABLE 5







The gene ratios with high diagnostic accuracy










Gene name











Gene selection
Denominator
Numerator
Diagnostic accuracy (%)





SAM
Hs.159410
Hs.12409
92.3



Hs.159410
N31177
88.5



Hs.514167
Hs.128959
88.5


Paired t test
Hs.503594
Hs.446559
92.3



Hs.503594
Hs.533683
92.3



Hs.98791
T85025
88.5



Hs.98791
Hs.490892
88.5



Hs.98791
Hs.444450
88.5



Hs.503594
Hs.478429
88.5



Hs.98791
R27946
88.5



Hs.503594
R25303
88.5



Hs.503594
Hs.102788
88.5



Hs.503594
R27946
88.5



Hs.503594
Hs.31181
88.5



Hs.503594
T95563
88.5



Hs.503594
Hs.183114
88.5



Hs.98791
Hs.406460
88.5
















TABLE 6







Demographic Characteristics of the Development and Validation Groups.











Development
Validation




Group
Group




(n = 84)
(n = 85)
P









Factor
No. of Cases (%)
Value















Donor risk characteristics







Age: ≧55 yr
21/84
(25)
18/85
(21)
0.56


Female
38/84
(45)
44/85
(52)
0.40


Smoking history: ≧20 pack-years
32/83
(39)
20/85
(24)
0.035


Artery blood gas: <300 mmHg
2/84
(2)
1/85
(1)
0.55


Cause of death: traumatic head injury
27/84
(32)
35/85
(41)
0.22


Abnormal chest radiograph findings
26/84
(31)
20/84
(24)
0.30


Abnormal bronchoscopic finding
19/84
(23)
21/84
(25)
0.72


Sputum gram stain: positive
53/84
(63)
51/85
(60)
0.68


Time on the ventilator: >72 hr
17/84
(20)
16/85
(18)
0.82


ABO: compatible (vs. identical)
6/84
(7)
11/85
(13)
0.21


Recipient risk characteristics







Female
38/84
(45)
38/85
(45)
0.94


Primary diagnosis




0.31


Emphysema
21/84
(25)
14/85
(16)



Cystic fibrosis
16/84
(19)
26/85
(31)



Pulmonary fibsosis
18/84
(21)
15/85
(18)



α1-antitrypsin deficiency
7/84
(8)
7/85
(8)



Primary pulmonary hypertension
5/84
(6)
4/85
(5)



Bronchiectasis
4/84
(5)
1/85
(1)



Congenital heart disease
2/84
(2)
4/85
(5)



Re-Tx: Bronchiolitis obliterans
3/84
(4)
2/85
(2)



Other
7/84
(8)
13/85
(15)



Transplant procedure







Type of transplantation




0.14


Single lung
10/84
(12)
4/85
(5)



Bilateral lung
73/84
(87)
78/85
(92)



Heart and lung
1/84
(1)
3/85
(4)



Cold ischemic time (first lung)




0.80


≦2 hr
13/84
(15)
13/85
(15)



>2 hr, ≦4 hr
47/84
(56)
48/85
(56)



>4 hr, ≦6 hr
19/84
(23)
21/85
(25)



>6 hr, ≦8 hr
4/84
(5)
3/85
(4)



>8 hr
1/84
(1)
0/85
(0)



Use of cardiopulmonary bypass
22/82
(27)
22/80
(28)
0.92


Outcomes







Death within 30 days
10/84
(12)
7/85
(8)
0.43
















TABLE 7







Univariate Effects of Cytokines and Ratios and Whole Model Test of Prediction


Model of IL-6/IL-10*.












Odds Ratio
Wald

Area under ROC Curve†


Group
(95% CI)§
Chi-square
P Value
(95% CI)§














Development group (n = 84)






Cytokine






IL-6
1.42 (1.09-1.86)
6.62
0.010
0.68 (0.50, 0.86)


IL-1β
1.10 (0.98-1.24)
2.58
0.11
0.59 (0.40, 0.79)


IL-8
1.29 (0.91-1.84)
2.00
0.16
0.56 (0.38, 0.74)


IL-10
0.60 (0.23-1.54)
1.13
0.29
0.48 (0.33, 0.63)


IFN-γ
0.58 (0.24-1.39)
1.48
0.22
0.38 (0.23, 0.53)


TNF-α
1.16 (0.63-2.14)
0.23
0.63
0.48 (0.27, 0.68)


Cytokine ratio






IL-6/IL-10
1.32 (1.07-1.63)
6.68
0.010
0.74 (0.56, 0.91)


IL-1β/IFN-γ
1.02 (1.00-1.04)
4.34
0.037
0.73 (0.57, 0.90)


IL-6/IFN-γ
1.05 (1.00-1.09)
4.09
0.043
0.78 (0.63, 0.93)


IL-1β/IL10
1.09 (0.98-1.20)
2.67
0.10
0.66 (0.46, 0.87)


IL-8/IL-10
1.07 (0.91-1.24)
0.64
0.42
0.69 (0.53, 0.85)


TNF-α/IFN-γ
1.01 (0.92-1.10)
0.04
0.84
0.68 (0.51, 0.84)


TNF-α/IL-10
1.03 (0.73-1.47)
0.03
0.85
0.60 (0.41, 0.78)


IL-8/IFN-γ
1.00 (0.97-1.02)
<0.01
0.95
0.71 (0.58, 0.85)


Whole model test of IL-6/IL-10*

10.3
0.0013
0.74 (0.56, 0.91)


Validation group (n = 85)






Whole model test of IL-6/IL-10

4.3
0.039
0.72 (0.53, 0.91)


All cases (n = 169)






Whole model test of IL-6/IL-10

13.2
0.0003
0.72 (0.59, 0.85)





*The prediction model was developed by stepwise logistic regression analysis and is expressed by the following equation: logit (probability) = −2.8970 + 0.2785 × (IL-6/IL-10).


†ROC curve: receiver-operating characteristic curve.


§95% CI: 95 percent confidence interval shown as (lower, upper).













TABLE 8







Odds Ratio for 30-day Mortality According to the Risk Groups Defined by


IL-6/IL-10.











No. of
Odds Ratio



Risk group
Cases (%)
(95% CI)*
P value














Cut-off value 1†






High
42 (25%)
5.45
(1.65-21.28)
0.0076


Intermediate
43 (25%)
2.05
(0.46-9.09)
0.33










Low
84 (50%)
1:reference



Cut-off value 2§














High
8 (5%)
20.00
(3.64-121.34)
0.0006


Intermediate
77 (45%)
2.65
(0.82-10.12)
0.12










Low
84 (50%)
1:reference






*95% CI: 95 percent confidence interval shown as (lower, upper).


†The high risk group was defined as cases which fell into the highest quartile expression ratios of IL-6/IL-10, the intermediate risk group as those that fell in the second highest quartile and the low risk group as remaining half of cases with lowest expression ratio.


§The high risk group was defined as cases which fell into the highest 5% expression ratios of IL-6/IL-10, the intermediate risk group as those that fell in the following 45% and the low risk group as the remaining half of cases with lowest expression ratio.













TABLE 9







Primers for Six Cytokines and 18S


ribosomal RNA.











Reverse


Gene
Forward Primer (5′-3′)
Primer (5′-3′)





IL-6
CACACAGACAGCCACTCACC
TTTTCTGCCAGTGCCTCTTT



SEQ ID NO: 202
SEQ ID NO: 203


 


IL-8
CAGGAATTGAATGGGTTTGC
AGCAGACTAGGGTTGCCAGA



SEQ ID NO: 204
SEQ ID NO: 205


 


IL-10
AAGCCTGACCACGCTTTCTA
GCTCCCTGGTTTCTCTTCCT



SEQ ID NO: 206
SEQ ID NO: 207


 


IFN-γ
GTCCAACGCAAAGCAATACA
ATATTGCAGGCAGGACAACC



SEQ ID NO: 208
SEQ ID NO: 209


 


TNF-α
AGCCCATGTTGTAGCAAACC
TGAGGTACAGGCCCTCTGAT



SEQ ID NO: 210
SEQ ID NO: 211


 


IL-1β
GGACAAGCTGAGGAAGATGC
TCGTTATCCCATGTGTCGAA



SEQ ID NO: 212
SEQ ID NO: 213


 


18S
GTAACCCGTTGAACCCCATT
CCATCCAATCGGTAGTAGCG


ribo-
SEQ ID NO: 214
SEQ ID NO: 215


somal




RNA
















TABLE 10







Demographic Characteristics of Donors among the Three Risk Groups


Defined by Cut-off Value 1*.










Risk Group













High
Intermediate
Low




n = 42
n = 43
n = 84




(25%)
(25%)
(50%)
P









Characteristics
No. of Cases (%)
Value














Age



0.84


≧55 yr
11 (26)
10 (23)
18 (21)



Gender



0.34


Female
23 (55)
23 (53)
36 (43)



Smoking history



0.92


≧20 pack-year
14 (33)
13/42 (31)  
25 (30)



Cause of death



0.60


Traumatic head injury
18 (43)
14 (33)
30 (36)



Time on ventilation



0.46


>72 hr
12 (29)
 7 (16)
15 (18)



Last PaO2/FiO2



0.41


<300 mmHg
1 (2)
0 (0)
2 (2)



Chest X-ray



0.84


Localized abnormality
13 (31)
11/42 (26)  
22 (26)



Bronchoscopic



0.18


findings






Abnormal
12 (29)
14/42 (33)  
16 (19)



Sputum gram stain



0.48


Positive
24 (57)
29 (67)
52 (62)



ABO compatibility



0.27


Compatible
 7 (17)
4 (9)
6 (7)





*The three risk groups were defined by IL-6/IL-10 shown in Table 8.













TABLE 11







Demographic Characteristics of Recipient among the Three Risk


Groups Defined by Cut-off Value 1*.










Risk Group














Intermediate
Low




High
n = 43
n = 84




n = 42 (25%)
(25%)
(50%)










Characteristics
No. of Cases (%
P Value

















Age






0.31


>60 yr
6
(14)
9
(21)
9
(11)



Gender






0.20


Female
22
(52)
22
(51)
32
(38)



Primary disease






0.99


Emphysema
9
(21)
10
(23)
17
(20)



Cystic fibrosis
9
(21)
9
(21)
24
(29)



IPF
6
(14)
8
(19)
18
(21)



α1-antitrypsin
4
(10)
4
(9)
6
(7)



deficiency









PPH
3
(7)
2
(5)
4
(5)



Bronchiectasis
1
(2)
2
(5)
2
(2)



Congenital heart
2
(5)
1
(2)
3
(4)



disease









Re-transplant (BOS)
2
(5)
1
(2)
2
(2)



Others
6
(14)
6
(14)
8
(10)



Procedure






0.17


Single lung
4
(10)
1
(2)
9
(11)



Bilateral lung
36
(86)
42
(98)
73
(87)



Heart and lung
2
(5)
0
(0)
2
(2)



Cardiopulmonary






0.95


bypass use









Use
12
(29)
11
(26)
22
(27)





*The three risk groups were defined by IL-6/IL-10 shown in Table 8.













TABLE 12







Demographic Characteristics of Donors among the Three Risk Groups


Defined by Cut-off Value 2*.










Risk Group














Intermediate
Low




High
n = 77
n = 84




n = 8 (5%)
(45%)
(50%)
P









Characteristics
No. of Cases (%)
Value

















Age






0.59


≧55 yr
1
(13)
20
(26)
18
(21)



Gender






0.30


Female
5
(63)
41
(53)
36
(43)



Smoking history






0.17


≧20 pack-year
5
(63)
22/76
(29)
25
(30)



Cause of death






0.70


Traumatic head injury
2
(25)
30
(39)
30
(36)



Time on ventilation






0.69


>72 hr
1
(13)
17
(22)
15
(18)



Last PaO2/FiO2






0.76


<300 mmHg
0
(0)
1
(1)
2
(2)



Chest X-ray






0.80


Localized abnormality
3
(38)
21/76
(28)
22
(26)



Bronchoscopic






0.19


findings









Abnormal
2
(25)
24/76
(32)
16
(19)



Sputum gram stain






0.68


Positive
6
(75)
46
(60)
52
(62)



ABO compatibility






0.14


Compatible
0
(0)
11
(14)
6
(7)





*The three risk groups were defined by IL-6/IL-10 shown in Table 8.













TABLE 13







Demographic Characteristics of Recipient among the Three Risk Groups


Defined by Cut-off Value 2*.










Risk Group















Low




High
Intermediate
n = 84




n = 8 (5%)
n = 77 (45%)
(50%)










Characteristics
No. of Cases (%)
P Value

















Age






0.37


>60 yr
2
(25)
13
(17)
9
(11)



Gender






0.16


Female
5
(63)
39
(51)
32
(38)



Primary disease






0.77


Emphysema
2
(25)
17
(22)
17
(20)



Cystic fibrosis
0
(0)
18
(23)
24
(29)



IPF
1
(13)
13
(17)
18
(21)



α1-antitrypsin
1
(13)
7
(9)
6
(7)



deficiency









PPH
1
(13)
4
(5)
4
(5)



Bronchiectasis
0
(0)
3
(4)
2
(2)



Congenital heart
0
(0)
3
(4)
3
(4)



disease









Re-transplant
0
(0)
3
(4)
2
(2)



(BOS)









Others
3
(38)
9
(12)
8
(10)



Procedure






0.69


Single lung
1
(13)
4
(5)
9
(11)



Bilateral lung
7
(88)
71
(92)
73
(87)



Heart and lung
0
(0)
2
(3)
2
(2)



Cardiopulmonary






0.085


bypass use









Use
5
(63)
18
(23)
22
(27)





*The three risk groups were defined by IL-6/IL-10 shown in Table 8.

## Claims

1. A method of screening for decreased risk of primary graft failure of a lung transplant, comprising the steps:
(a) obtaining a sample of a human donor lung;
(b) determining the level of RNA product of one or more biomarkers selected from the biomarkers human microephaly, autosomal recessive 1 (MCPH1), human fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2), human ATPase, Class VI, type 11B (ATP11B) and human Egl nine homolog 1 (EGLN1) in said sample;
(c) comparing the level of one or more RNA products in the sample with levels in control lung samples of human patients which survived less than 30 days after lung transplant; and
(d) detecting statistically significant decreased expression of the RNA product or products between the donor lung and the control lung samples, wherein a statistically significant decreased expression has a p-value less than 0.05, by a Student's t-test and identifying the donor lung with said statistically significant decreased expression as having decreased risk for primary graft failure relative to a human donor lung that does not have said decreased expression.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining the level of said RNA products comprises using quantitative RT-PCR.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining the level of said RNA products comprises using rapid RT-PCR.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining the level of said RNA products comprises using a microarray.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the level of RNA of two of the biomarkers is determined.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the level of RNA products is compared in step b) by comparing the ratios of the two biomarkers, wherein an increased ratio between the donor lung and the controls is indicative of risk for primary graft failure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the biomarker selected is MCPH1 and wherein the method further comprises determining the level of RNA product of human ARP1 actin-related protein 1 homolog B, centractin beta in the sample and the controls, calculating the ratio of the levels of RNA product of MCPH1/ARP1 actin-related protein 1 homolog B, centractin beta, wherein the level of RNA products is compared in step b) by comparing the ratios of the levels of RNA product of MCPH1/ARP1 actin-related protein 1 homolog B, centractin beta, in the sample and the controls, and wherein an increased ratio between the donor lung and the controls is indicative of risk for primary graft failure.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the biomarker selected is FGFR2 and wherein the method further comprises determining the level of RNA product of human Angiomotin like 1 in the sample and the controls, calculating the ratio of the levels of RNA product of FGFR2/Angiomotin like 1, wherein the level of RNA products is compared in step b) by comparing the ratios of the levels of RNA product of FGFR2/Angiomotin like 1 in the sample and the controls, and wherein an increased ratio between the donor lung and the controls is indicative of risk for primary graft failure.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the biomarker selected is EGLN1 and wherein the method further comprises determining the level of RNA product of ARP1 actin-related protein 1 homolog B, centractin beta in the sample and the controls, calculating the ratio of the levels of RNA product of human EGLN1/ARP1 actin-related protein 1 homolog B, centractin beta, wherein the level of RNA products is compared in step b) by comparing the ratios of the levels of RNA product of EGLN1/ARP1 actin-related protein 1 homolog B, centractin beta in the sample and the controls, and wherein an increased ratio between the donor lung and the controls is indicative of risk for primary graft failure.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the biomarker selected is ATP11B and wherein the method further comprises determining the level of RNA product of human Angiomotin like 1 in the sample and the controls, calculating the ratio of the levels of RNA product of ATP11B/Angiomotin like 1, wherein the level of RNA products is compared in step b) by comparing the ratios of the levels of RNA product of ATP11B/Angiomotin like 1 in the sample and the controls, and wherein an increased ratio between the donor lung and the controls is indicative of risk for primary graft failure.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the level of RNA of four of the biomarkers is determined.

12. A method of screening for increased risk of primary graft failure of a lung transplant, comprising the steps:
(a) obtaining a sample of a human donor lung;
(b) determining the level of RNA product of one or more biomarkers selected from the biomarkers human microephaly, autosomal recessive 1 (MCPH1), human fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2), human ATPase, Class VI, type 11B (ATP11B) and human Egl nine homolog 1 (EGLN1) in said sample;
(c) comparing the level of one or more RNA products in the sample with levels in control lung samples of human patients which survived over 6 months after lung transplantation; and
(d) detecting statistically significant increased expression of the RNA product or products between the donor lung and the control lung samples wherein a statistically significant increased expression has a p-value less than 0.05, by a Student t-test and identifying the donor lung with said statistically significant increased expression as having increased risk for primary graft failure relative to a human donor lung that does not have said increased expression.