Post by University of California, San Francisco

Personalized medicine could help expand the living kidney donor pool. A new UCSF study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found APOL1 testing can identify which Black kidney donors carry the high-risk gene and which don't. About 85% don't carry the high-risk gene, helping people make informed decisions around kidney donations. Black patients make up about 1/3 of the kidney transplant waitlist but account for a smaller share of living donors. Expanding access to APOL1 testing could help reassure the 85% of Black candidates without the gene, while identifying those at higher risk. https://lnkd.in/e2eE2XBu