5/14 APOL1 Long-term Kidney Transplantation Outcomes Network (APOLLO) Clinical Center

ABSTRACT The Columbia-Penn Clinical Consortium APOLLO-CC05 brings together an experienced multidisciplinary team of clinical investigators with expertise in the fields of transplant epidemiology, immunology, and genetics, as well as an extensive history of collaboration with the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and other CPCC member transplant programs. As a result, the CC05 is well suited to recruit and retain patients for longitudinal follow up for the APOL1 Long-term Kidney Transplantation Outcomes Research Network (APOLLO) Phase 2. This Clinical Center is composed of 11 transplant centers in four contiguous states (NY, NJ, CT and PA) in the Northeastern US. Our primary objective is to provide long-term follow up data on all APOLLO Phase 1 participants while continuing to enroll new African American or Black Hispanic living kidney donors (Aim 1). We will provide detailed clinical data (not currently available in any registry dataset) with the goal of identifying “second hits” and collect additional biospecimens (Urine albumin to creatinine ratio, blood, urine and biopsy slides) for Aim 2. We will partner with the SDRC to provide return of APOL1 genotype results to all participants who wish to receive them (Aim 3). We expect that Phase 2 of the APOLLO study will determine the impact of APOL1 risk variants in donors and recipients on kidney transplant outcomes and will create a unique cohort of African American living kidney donors with detailed clinical data and biospecimens as a resource for future studies.