Award
NIH Reporter #5U01AI163081-06
Utility of Biomarkers of Rejection and Kidney Injury in Tailoring Liver Transplant Immunosuppression
Recipient
Northwestern University
Award Amount
$377,553.00
Ceiling
$377,553.00
Awarded
August 18, 2026
Identifier
5U01AI163081-06
A NIH-funded project by Northwestern University to evaluate biomarkers for predicting rejection and kidney injury in liver transplant patients, aiming to improve personalized immunosuppression and treatment strategies.
Description
This project will test if biomarkers developed in a prior CTOT study can predict rejection and kidney injury in liver transplant recipients, helping to optimize anti-rejection medications. It involves a prospective multi-center clinical trial to evaluate if serial blood biomarker profiling can identify patients at risk of kidney injury and guide safe withdrawal of nephrotoxic calcineurin inhibitors in favor of non-nephrotoxic mTOR inhibitors. The study also includes extensive immune, genomic, proteomic, and kidney imaging profiling to understand mechanisms of rejection and injury, aiming to advance personalized immunosuppression and identify new therapeutic targets.