Calcineurin Inhibitor in NEuRoloGically Deceased Donors to Decrease Kidney delaYed Graft Function (CINERGY)

Background: Organ donation saves lives, and improves quality of life for thousands of people. But organ donation falls short of expectations for some patients who suffer early graft loss. During organ donation surgery, the supply of blood with oxygen and nutrients is suspended. When restored during transplant surgery, a cascade of inflammation perturbs the newly transplanted organ -causing ischemia-reperfusion injury. When severe, it can hinder transplant function in the early post-operative period, lead to profound critical illness, increase the risks of transplant rejection and chronic disease, and reduce the transplant lifespan. Administration of tacrolimus, a calcineurin inhibitor, to neurologically deceased donors may reduce ischemia-reperfusion injury in transplant recipients.

Objectives: The CINERGY Pilot Trial will test the feasibility of comparing tacrolimus to placebo for the prevention of delayed graft function in kidney recipients and establish the foundation for a large, multi-centre randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Methods: 90 neurologically deceased kidney donors will be randomized to either tacrolimus (0.02 mg/kg) or the corresponding placebo 4-8 hours before organ recovery. To be included in the CINERGY Pilot RCT, donors will need to meet inclusion criteria. All corresponding recipients are enrolled and their data is collected in the first 7 days and at 12 months after transplantation.

Outcomes: Feasibility: Donor accrual rate and consent rate of organ recipients. Safety: acute kidney injury, hyperkalemia and anaphylaxis in donors and recipients. Clinical: graft function within 7 days in all recipients, vital status, re-transplantation and need for dialysis at 12 months.

Relevance: This pilot study will inform the feasibility and design of a larger trial. Moreover, the CINERGY Pilot RCT will pave the way for future trials linking organ donation and transplantation across Canada.

Neurologically deceased donors who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria will be eligible for participating in this study along with the correlating organ recipients who meet inclusion criteria.

Donor Inclusion Criteria:

• ≥18 years of age;
• Neurologically deceased;
• Consent for deceased organ donation;
• All organ recipients have been identified;
• ≥ 1 kidney allocated to a recipient.

Donor Exclusion Criteria:

• Known hypersensitivity to tacrolimus or polyoxyl 60 hydrogenated castor oil;
• One or more organs allocated to a non-participating transplant program;
• Unlikely access to study drug (e.g., due to supply issues, or pharmacist availability);
• One or more organ recipients has not agreed to receive an organ from a donor participating in the study;
• One or more organs are allocated to a recipient under the age of 18;
• A transplant physician has judged that donor tacrolimus will be unsuitable for an intended recipient.

Recipient Inclusion Criteria

• Organ/Transplant graft originated from a donor enrolled in this study.

No exclusion criteria.