BRISBANE, Calif. | June 18, 2026
CareDx, Inc. announced that its precision medicine diagnostics portfolio will be featured in more than 30 scientific abstracts and nine oral presentations at the 2026 American Transplant Congress (ATC), taking place June 20–24 in Boston, Massachusetts. The presentations showcase new clinical evidence supporting the expanding role of AlloSure®, HeartCare®, HistoMap® Kidney, and ImmuneScape™ across kidney, heart, lung, and multi-organ transplantation. Data generated from studies involving more than 110 transplant centers across the United States highlight the growing use of donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) and advanced molecular diagnostics to assess transplant rejection risk, monitor treatment response, and predict long-term graft outcomes. The findings further strengthen the role of AlloSure® as a potential clinical endpoint in transplantation research and patient management.
Studies Reinforce AlloSure’s Prognostic Value in Kidney Transplantation
Multiple kidney transplant studies presented at ATC 2026 demonstrated the clinical value of AlloSure® Kidney and AlloSure Plus in identifying early graft injury and improving risk stratification. Investigators reported that persistent elevations of AlloSure during the first four months after transplantation were associated with significantly higher rates of acute rejection, de novo donor-specific antibodies (DSA), declining kidney function (eGFR), and graft loss over three years, while transient elevations that normalized produced outcomes similar to consistently low-risk patients. Additional multicenter analyses involving more than 4,000 kidney transplant recipients showed elevated AlloSure levels were independently associated with microvascular inflammation, including cases lacking conventional antibody-mediated rejection markers. Researchers also found that AlloSure Plus accurately differentiated acute cellular rejection (ACR) and antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) from non-rejection cases, supporting its use for more precise, non-invasive rejection risk assessment beyond traditional dd-cfDNA testing alone.
Advanced Molecular Technologies Expand Precision Diagnostics
CareDx also presented new research demonstrating the capabilities of its next-generation molecular platforms, including HistoMap® Kidney and ImmuneScape™. Molecular analysis using HistoMap Kidney suggested that many biopsy samples with isolated arteritis may not represent active T-cell-mediated rejection, potentially improving diagnostic accuracy and reducing unnecessary treatment. Meanwhile, ImmuneScape™ integrated single-cell sequencing and spatial transcriptomics to identify distinct immune cell populations and tissue-level immune activation patterns associated with kidney transplant rejection. These findings provide new insights into the biological mechanisms underlying allograft injury while supporting the discovery of novel biomarkers, more refined molecular rejection classification, and the future development of precision transplant therapies.
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Heart and Multi-Organ Data Support Broader Clinical Adoption
In addition to kidney transplantation, CareDx presented important findings across heart and multi-organ transplantation. Studies demonstrated that elevated AlloMap® Heart gene expression scores were associated with subsequent increases in AlloSure® Heart, indicating that molecular immune activation may precede detectable graft injury. Researchers also observed increased evidence of molecular rejection among heart transplant recipients receiving mTOR inhibitor therapy, suggesting that more frequent non-invasive molecular monitoring may improve patient management. A separate study involving simultaneous heart-kidney transplant recipients demonstrated consistent use of HeartCare® during routine follow-up with predictable molecular testing patterns. Collectively, the data presented at ATC 2026 reinforce CareDx’s leadership in precision transplant diagnostics, highlighting the expanding clinical utility of molecular testing to improve organ transplant surveillance, personalize patient care, and support the design of future clinical trials aimed at enhancing long-term transplant outcomes.
Source: CareDx press release
