What Does the Public Think About Using Genomics to Allocate Donor Kidneys for Transplantation?

With an increasing demand for donor kidneys and a scarce supply, finding ways to reduce kidney rejection and improve transplant outcomes are needed. Greater genomic compatibility between donors and recipients is associated with longer-lasting kidneys, and so could be used to guide kidney allocation. Changing the deceased donor kidney allocation criteria must consider trade-offs and ethical principles. Public input is critical as policymakers and health professionals decide how best to allocate kidneys fairly, while balancing transplant outcomes. This presentation describes a pan-Canadian online public deliberation to gather values and recommendations on this topic from the general public.

Learning objectives:

• To learn about genome-guided advances in kidney allocation for transplantation
• To describe pivoting methods from an in-person to online public deliberation
• To share recommendations from the general public on changing kidney allocation criteria