Using statistics and artificial intelligence, Alexandre Loupy tries to integrate all the knowledge about kidney transplants. Through this approach he changes the way it is dealt with. These advances are recognized with the Inserm Innovation Prize.
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Companion tools for physicians to improve organ transplantation
Alexandre Loupy, director of the Paris Transplant Institute and the Paris Transplant Group, is a nephrologist, biologist and biostatistician. A set of skills that he integrates into innovative tools that improve kidney transplantation. The idea for this approach came about during the internship, from meeting with “Christophe Legendre from Necker Hospital, who had an innovative approach to kidney transplantation that interested me” he explains. The young scientist then decided to do a thesis in cell biology and then in biostatistics and epidemiology. His goal: to use data from transplants worldwide to help doctors become more efficient and improve the success of the transplant and the everyday life of patients.
The sum of knowledge in one tool
The first results don’t take long to arrive. In 2013, Alexandre Loupy particularly identified with Carmen Lefaucheur, who is still part of the team ten years later antibody which significantly increases transplant rejection. “This changed the Banff classification [qui stratifie la prise en charge en fonction du risque de rejet, ndlr.] and enabled the affected patients to be treated with more specific immunosuppressants.”he specifies.
In 2016 winner of the Atip Avenir program From Inserm he founded his own team, the Paris Transplant Group Paris Cardiovascular Research Center. “My idea is to integrate all parameters, such as: BiomarkersImmunology, genetics…, in an algorithm to predict rejection risk, graft survival and mortality of transplanted patients to help physicians tailor monitoring and treatments,” he describes. The algorithm called iBox, resulting from a European and American collaboration, will be presented in 2019. Using a simulation approach, it is also possible to indicate the best use of the graft based on its properties. “ Thanks to him, the United States now uses transplants from older donors, as was already the case in France. completes Alexandre Loupy.
An assignment in four committees and four continents
The development of iBox was entrusted Predict4HealthA Startup by Inserm, AP-HP and the University of Paris Cité, founded by the researcher in 2019. “It is the subject of a clinical trial with patients in Europe. And he has passed the regulatory process that allows him to receive reimbursement from Social Security. he emphasizes. It is also the first Biomarkers digitally using artificial intelligence approved by the European Medicines Agency to reproduce ongoing clinical trials, reducing the development of immunosuppressive treatments by several years. » Integrated into the software VordigraftIt is used to monitor 10,000 patients in France and 45,000 in the United States. Finally, it is currently in development for heart, lung, liver and chronic kidney diseases.
The team developed it as an extension of the iBox a module, Banff Automation, that automates the interpretation of Biopsies. “It applies the very complex classification rules to the anatomopathologist’s observations and indicates the degree of rejection risk. explains Alexandre Loupy. In fact, it makes it possible to reclassify almost 30% of misdiagnoses and treat patients better. »
Since 2020, Alexandre Loupy has been living between France and the USA as he teaches at the University of California in Los Angeles. But there is no question of giving in to the progress of American laboratories. On the other hand. He put up his own antenna there just to import a little bit of France. That’s why if he assures that “The Innovation Award is a great pride, an honor and a joy for my team,” We take his word for it.
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