Cardiac accumulation of a human recombinant antibody recognizing ED-A+ fibronectin after heterotopic rat heart transplantation in vivo: A new strategy to detect and treat chronic cardiac allograft rejection?

Abstract

Objectives: Chronic cardiac allograft rejection is characterized by cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) and cardiac interstitial fibrosis (CIF) both causing severe complications and thereby determining patient's long-term prognosis. Until now there are no sufficient strategies to non-invasively diagnose or to treat chronic rejection. CAV and CIF development is closely associated to the re-occurrence of ED-A+ fibronectin (ED-A+ Fn). Against that background, the availability of a human recombinant antibody recognizing ED-A+ Fn is of high clinical interest since it can be used as a vehicle for targeted delivery of diagnostic agents or drugs directly to the side of disease. Aim of the study was to evaluate the potential of this special antibody to specifically accumulate in chronically rejected allografts in vivo.