Tacrolimus dosing in liver transplant recipients using phenotypic personalized medicine: A phase 2 randomized clinical trial

Abstract Tacrolimus is the most commonly used immunosuppression drug after solid organ transplantation; however, its dosing is challenging due to substantial inter-individual variability, often resulting in blood levels that deviate from the target therapeutic range. We explored whether a dynamicall...

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Main Authors: Jeffrey Khong, Megan Lee, Curtis Warren, Un Bi Kim, Sergio Duarte, Kenneth A. Andreoni, Sunaina Shrestha, Mark W. Johnson, Narendra R. Battula, Danielle M. McKimmy, Thiago Beduschi, Ji-Hyun Lee, Derek M. Li, Chih-Ming Ho, Ali Zarrinpar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-05-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59739-6
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Summary:Abstract Tacrolimus is the most commonly used immunosuppression drug after solid organ transplantation; however, its dosing is challenging due to substantial inter-individual variability, often resulting in blood levels that deviate from the target therapeutic range. We explored whether a dynamically customized, phenotypic-outcome-guided drug dosing method could improve maintenance of drug trough levels within pre-determined target ranges, focusing on tacrolimus immediately after liver transplantation. This single-center, partially blinded, completed clinical trial involved 62 adults undergoing liver transplantation, block randomized into parallel groups: standard-of-care (SOC) clinician-determined or Phenotypic Personalized Medicine (PPM)-guided tacrolimus dosing. The primary outcome was percentage of post-transplant days with large (>2 ng/mL) deviations from the target range. At trial completion, analysis found statistically significant improvement in the PPM group (n = 27): 24.2% of days showing large deviations compared to 38.4% in the SOC group (n = 29) (difference −14.2%, 95% CI: −26.7 to −1.5 %, P = 0.029) with no increase in adverse events. These results demonstrate that PPM-guided tacrolimus dosing more effectively maintains drug levels within the target range compared to SOC, suggesting a promising approach to improving drug dosing. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with the identifier NCT03527238.
ISSN:2041-1723