New publication shows that Prospera-guided care helped >75% of low-risk patients safely avoid routine transbronchial biopsies performed at 9 months
AUSTIN, Texas, January 26, 2026–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTRA), a global leader in cell-free DNA and precision medicine, today announced the publication of a new prospective clinical trial in Transplantation Direct. The study, which was conducted by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSU-WMC), was initiated to explore whether donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) surveillance, and specifically Prospera-guided monitoring, could reduce the number of invasive biopsies for patients following lung transplantation.
Lung transplant patients are typically monitored with transbronchial biopsies – at one, three, six, nine, and 12 months after transplantation. These procedures are invasive, costly and associated with significant morbidity¹.
As transplant volumes increased at OSU-WMC, the center launched a quality assurance and performance improvement (QAPI) initiative to evaluate whether the Prospera test could allow them to safely eliminate the 9-month surveillance biopsy.
In the study, 78 lung-transplant recipients were monitored with the Prospera test for one year post-transplant. Prospera testing was incorporated at approximately 8 months to categorize patients as low risk (<1.0 % dd-cfDNA) or high risk (≥1.0 %) for rejection. Physicians could then choose to forgo the 9-month surveillance biopsy for low-risk, clinically stable patients. All participants were recommended for a protocol biopsy at 12 months post-transplant.
Key findings included:
Physicians chose to omit the 9-month biopsy in ~75% of patients with low-risk Prospera results. For these patients over the ensuing 3 months, there was no significant difference in acute rejection rates, spirometry indices, or donor-specific antibodies compared to patients who underwent the procedure.
At one year post-transplant, approximately 95% of patients who omitted the 9-month biopsy did not have acute rejection that needed any treatment.
Patients who omitted the 9-month biopsy maintained lung function and immunologic stability similar to those who underwent the procedure.
“This study highlights how monitoring with Prospera can improve both the patient experience and the sustainability of transplant programs,” said Justin Rosenheck, D.O., clinical assistant professor of internal medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and principal investigator of the study. “These compelling results support our goal of providing more personalized and efficient medical care without compromising patient safety or outcomes.”
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