Viral Infections in Organ Transplantation

Principal Investigator

Irmeli Lautenschlager, MD, PhD
Docent in Clinical Virology, Consultant Virologist
Department of Virology, University of Helsinki and HUSLAB,
Room: E362
Tel. +358 2941 26346 , +358 40 838 4005
Fax +358 2941 26771
irmeli.lautenschlager (at) helsinki.fi
irmeli.lautenschlager (at) hus.fi

Postdoctoral Fellows

Raisa Loginov, PhD

Graduate Students

Teemu Karlsson, MSc

Laboratory: E220

Collaborators, Senior Scientists

Transplantation Clinic, Surgery:
Krister Höckerstedt, MD, PhD, Prof. (Emeritus)
Leena Halme, MD, PhD, Docent
Kaija Salmela, MD, PhD, Docent
Marko Lempinen, MD, PhD
Nephrology:
Petri Koskinen, MD, PhD, Docent
Ilkka Helanterä, MD, PhD
Pathology:
Johanna Arola, MD, PhD, Docent
Anne Räisänen-Sokolowski, MD, PhD, Docent

Research Interests

Viral infections are, in addition to allograft rejection, the most significant problems in organ transplantation. Several clinical and experimental studies have shown that viral infections, or the immune response associated with the infections, trigger both acute and chronic organ allograft rejection. Herpesviruses, especially cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a risk factor in organ transplantation, but also the other herpesviruses human herpesvirus-6 and -7 (HHV-6, HHV-7)  may cause graft dysfunction and trigger rejection.

The aim of our study is to investigate the direct and indirect effects of viral infections in organ transplant recipients. The diagnostic molecular methods to detect the viruses are developed. The role of viral infections is studied focusing especially in the early stage of the inflammatory response, induction adhesion molecules, cytokines, growth factors and the role of the early events in the development of chronic changes in the transplanted organ. These factors are studied during acute, persistent and latent viral infections. The efficiency of antiviral therapy in preventing the viral infections and the late indirect effects is investigated.

Selected publications

• Halme L, Arola J, Höckerstedt K, Lautenschlager I. Human herpesvirus 6 infection of the gastroduodenal mucosa. Clin Infect Dis 46: 434-9, 2008.

• Helanterä I, Loginov R, Koskinen P, Lautenschlager I. Demonstration of HHV-6 antigens in biopsies of kidney transplant recipients with cytomegalovirus infection. Transplant Int 21: 980-4, 2008.

• Lempinen M, Halme L, Sarkio S, Arola J, Honkanen E, Turunen U, Salmela K, Lautenschlager I. CMV findings in the gastrointestinal tract in kidney transplantation patients, patients with end-stage kidney disease and immunocompetent patients. Nephrol Dial Transplant 24:3533-9, 2009.

• Loginov R, Karlsson T, Höckerstedt K, Ablashi D, Lautenschlager I. Quantitative HHV-6B antigenemia test for the monitoring of transplant patients. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 29: 881-886, 2010.

• Helanterä I, Kyllönen L, Lautenschlager I, Salmela K, Koskinen P. Primary CMV infections are common in kidney transplant recipients after 6 months valganciclovir prophylaxis. Am J Transplant 10:2026-2032, 2010.