A new biologic medicine to help prevent organ rejection
Official title: A Multifunctional Biologic to Regulate Transplant Rejection
Funded at Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11354547 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project develops a single engineered protein designed to stop transplant rejection in people by blocking harmful immune signals and boosting protective immune cells.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | May 5, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $254,529 |
| NIH project number | 1R21AI199177-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11354547 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for eventual clinical testing would be adults undergoing or recently having undergone solid organ transplants who want alternatives to lifelong immunosuppressive drugs.
✕Less likely to help
People with active infections, certain immune system disorders, or those already stable on standard immunosuppression may not benefit from this early-stage approach.
What this research studies
Researchers are creating a single engineered protein called β-Tol that combines an antibody against a key immune signal (CD154) with added immune-regulating parts to both block rejection and encourage protective regulatory T cells. They will use protein engineering, lab cell tests, and mouse experiments to compare β-Tol to conventional CD154 blockers and to measure its effects on immune cell types. Early laboratory results show stronger conversion of harmful immune cells into regulatory cells and better suppression of effector responses in mouse and cell models. This is an early-stage effort focused on preclinical work to prepare for possible human testing in the future.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could reduce or replace long-term broad immunosuppression and lower the risk of chronic transplant rejection.
How similar studies have gone: Blocking CD154 and using regulatory T cells have worked well in animal studies, but combining them into a single biologic for safe, effective human use is still novel and not yet proven in people.
Where this research is happening
-
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Raimondi, Giorgio — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Raimondi, Giorgio
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Immunological mechanisms behind treatment-resistant kidney transplant rejection
This grant explores why certain kidney transplant rejections don’t respond to standard treatments and what immune cells in the graft are driving that resistance.
-
Understanding how BK virus links infection to kidney transplant rejection
This project looks at how BK polyomavirus reactivation affects kidney transplant patients and aims to use pre-transplant T cell information to tailor immunosuppression and monitoring.
-
Biomarkers to tailor liver transplant immunosuppression
A multi-center study using blood biomarkers to guide how immunosuppressive drugs are given to liver transplant patients.
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Using blood biomarkers to guide immunosuppression after liver transplant
This project uses regular blood biomarker checks to help doctors personalize immunosuppression for people who have had a liver transplant to reduce rejection and protect the kidneys.
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Targeting YAP and TAZ with statins to prevent transplant rejection from donor antibodies
A study to see if statins can block specific gene regulators (YAP and TAZ) to protect transplanted organs from rejection caused by donor antibodies.
-
Predicting acute rejection in children after heart transplant
A study to improve how doctors predict if a child who has had a heart transplant will have acute rejection using noninvasive blood markers and advanced heart MRI analysis.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.