Assessment of Perceived Stress in an Observational Study Evaluating a Biopsy-sparing Surveillance Strategy in Kidney Transplant Recipients With Blood and Urinary Biomarkers Predictive of the Absence of Rejection (ABAT)

November 4, 2026 updated by: Nantes University Hospital

ABAT - Assessment of Perceived Stress in an Observational Study Evaluating a Biopsy-sparing Surveillance Strategy in Kidney Transplant Recipients With Blood and Urinary Biomarkers Predictive of the Absence of Rejection

There is currently no consensus recommendation regarding the routine use of surveillance kidney allograft biopsies during the first year after transplantation. As a result, the decision to perform surveillance biopsies remains center-dependent, and their long-term clinical benefit has not been conclusively demonstrated.

Although surveillance biopsy is considered the gold standard for detecting subclinical rejection, it is an invasive and costly procedure that carries a risk of complications. Furthermore, approximately 30-35% of surveillance biopsies reveal normal or near-normal histology, highlighting the need for strategies that can safely reduce unnecessary biopsies and improve patient comfort while optimizing healthcare resource utilization.

At Nantes University Hospital, three blood and urinary biomarkers predictive of the absence of rejection are routinely used to assess the relevance of performing a surveillance biopsy. The objective of this observational study is to evaluate patients' perceived stress related to the 1-year surveillance biopsy according to whether the procedure is maintained or canceled based on the results of these non-invasive biomarkers used in standard clinical practice.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

66

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

      • Nantes, France, 44093
        • Nantes Universitary hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population will consist of a prospective cohort of kidney transplant recipients followed at Nantes University Hospital over a 12-month inclusion period.

The study will compare perceived stress related to the 1-year surveillance biopsy according to whether the biopsy was performed or waived based on the results of the non-invasive biomarkers used in routine clinical practice.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult patients aged 18 years or older;
  • Recipients of a kidney transplant from a living donor, a donor after brain death, or a donor after circulatory death;
  • Patients who have provided written informed consent to participate in the ABAT study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women;
  • Patients under legal protection measures (including guardianship or curatorship);
  • Patients who have undergone more than two kidney transplantations;
  • Patients who have received a combined transplant or a previous transplant of another organ.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: CASE_ONLY
  • Time Perspectives: PROSPECTIVE

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
ABAT Study population

The study population will consist of a prospective cohort of kidney transplant followed at Nantes University Hospital over a 12-month inclusion period.

Collection of blood and urine samples at 3 months for the assessment of blood and urinary biomarkers (these samples will not be used to guide the decision to perform or cancel the surveillance biopsy. They will be stored in the study biocollection for future ancillary biomarker analyses):

One PAXgene® tube (SCR score): 2.5 mL of peripheral venous blood. One Streck® Cell-Free DNA BCT tube (dd-cfDNA): 10 mL of peripheral venous blood.

One sterile urine collection tube (CXCL9/CXCL10 assay): 6 mL of fresh urine.

To assess perceived stress related to the surveillance biopsy procedure, whether guided by the biomarker-based decision algorithm or not, participants will complete a self-administered questionnaire using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 corresponds to "no stress" and 10 to "the highest level of stress imaginable."

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Perceived stress score related to the 1-year surveillance biopsy
Time Frame: 12 months

score ranging from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating high stress level.

12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

February 1, 2027

Primary Completion (Estimated)

February 1, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

February 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 21, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 4, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

November 5, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 5, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 4, 2026

Last Verified

November 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • RC26_0150
  • 2026-A01329-42 (Other Identifier: ANSM)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.