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  • Predicting cellular rejection of renal allograft based on the serum proteomic fingerprint
    Publication . Ramalhete, Luís; Vieira, Miguel Bigotte; Araújo, Rúben; Vigia, Emanuel; Aires, Inês; Ferreira, Aníbal; Calado, Cecília
    Kidney transplantation is an essential medical procedure that significantly enhances the survival rates and quality of life for patients with end-stage kidney disease. However, despite advancements in immunosuppressive therapies, allograft rejection remains a leading cause of organ loss. Notably, predictions of cellular rejection processes primarily rely on biopsy analysis, which is not routinely performed due to its invasive nature. The present work evaluates if the serum proteomic fingerprint, as acquired by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, can predict cellular rejection processes. We analyzed 28 serum samples, corresponding to 17 without cellular rejection processes and 11 associated with cellular rejection processes, as based on biopsy analyses. The leave-one-out-cross validation procedure of a Naïve Bayes model enabled the prediction of cellular rejection processes with high sensitivity and specificity (AUC > 0.984). The serum proteomic profile was obtained in a high-throughput mode and based on a simple, rapid, and economical procedure, making it suitable for routine analyses and large-scale studies. Consequently, the current method presents a high potential to predict cellular rejection processes translatable to clinical scenarios, and that should continue to be explored.
  • Integration of FTIR spectroscopy and machine learning for kidney allograft rejection: a complementary diagnostic tool
    Publication . Ramalhete, Luís; Araújo, Rúben Alexandre Dinis; Bigotte Vieira, Miguel; Vigia, Emanuel; Aires, Inês; Ferreira, Aníbal; Calado, Cecília
    Kidney transplantation is a life-saving treatment for end-stage kidney disease, but allograft rejection remains a critical challenge, requiring accurate and timely diagnosis. The study aims to evaluate the integration of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and machine learning algorithms as a minimally invasive method to detect kidney allograft rejection and differentiate between T Cell-Mediated Rejection (TCMR) and Antibody-Mediated Rejection (AMR). Additionally, the goal is to discriminate these rejection types aiming to develop a reliable decision-making support tool. Methods: This retrospective study included 41 kidney transplant recipients and analyzed 81 serum samples matched to corresponding allograft biopsies. FTIR spectroscopy was applied to pre-biopsy serum samples, and Naïve Bayes classification models were developed to distinguish rejection from non-rejection and classify rejection types. Data preprocessing involved, e.g., atmospheric compensation, second derivative, and feature selection using Fast Correlation-Based Filter for spectral regions 600–1900 cm−1 and 2800–3400 cm−1. Model performance was assessed via area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC), sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. Results: The Naïve Bayes model achieved an AUC-ROC of 0.945 in classifying rejection versus non-rejection and AUC-ROC of 0.989 in distinguishing TCMR from AMR. Feature selection significantly improved model performance, identifying key spectral wavenumbers associated with rejection mechanisms. This approach demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity for both classification tasks. Conclusions: The integration of FTIR spectroscopy with machine learning may provide a promising, minimally invasive method for early detection and precise classification of kidney allograft rejection. Further validation in larger, more diverse populations is needed to confirm these findings’ reliability.
  • Risk phenotyping before graft implantation: FTIR spectroscopy and machine learning for complementary risk stratification in kidney transplantation
    Publication . Ramalhete, Luís; Araújo, Rúben Alexandre Dinis; Vigia, Emanuel; Bigotte Vieira, Miguel; Antunes Ferreira, Manuel Aníbal; Calado, Cecília
    Background: Rejection remains a major barrier to long-term kidney allograft survival, and pre-transplant risk stratification remains incomplete. This study evaluated whether pre-transplant serum Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, analyzed using machine learning methods, could identify kidney transplant recipients at increased risk of subsequent biopsy-proven rejection. Methods: In this retrospective single-center study, 80 pre-transplant serum samples collected on the day of transplantation were initially evaluated; after spectral quality control, 79 samples were retained for analysis. FTIR spectra were acquired in transmission mode and analyzed in the 600–1900 cm−1 and 2800–3400 cm−1 regions. Multiple preprocessing strategies were assessed, including Rubber Band baseline correction, vector normalization, and first- and second-derivative transformation, with and without normalization. Naïve Bayes classifiers with Leave-One-Out Cross-Validation and Fast Correlation-Based Filter feature selection were applied. Results: Exploratory analysis showed broad overlap between groups, indicating a subtle multivariate spectral signal. In the initial exploratory workflow, classifier performance depended strongly on preprocessing and feature selection. Because non-nested feature selection may produce optimistic estimates, the main supervised analysis was repeated using FCBF nested within each LOOCV training fold. The best-performing nested model was obtained using second derivative transformation followed by normalization in the combined 600–1900 and 2800–3400 cm−1 regions, achieving an AUC of 0.837, accuracy of 0.747, sensitivity of 0.675, specificity of 0.821, balanced accuracy of 0.748, and F1-score of 0.730. Permutation testing with 1000 label-randomized repetitions supported performance above chance expectation, with no permuted model reaching the observed AUC (empirical p = 0.000999). Conclusions: Pre-transplant serum FTIR spectroscopy combined with leakage-aware nested machine learning analysis identified an internally validated spectral signal associated with subsequent biopsy-proven rejection. These findings support FTIR as a promising complementary and hypothesis-generating approach for pre-transplant biochemical risk phenotyping, requiring external multicenter validation before clinical application.