APOL1 Kidney Transplant Network Clinical Center
Official title: 13/14 APOL1 Long-term Kidney Transplantation Outcomes Network (APOLLO) Clinical Center
Funded at Wake Forest University Health Sciences · NIH-11372875 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant supports a national effort to study how APOL1 gene variants affect kidney transplant outcomes, especially in African American donors and recipients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wake Forest University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Winston-Salem, United States) |
| Project start | September 25, 2017 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $80,132 |
| NIH project number | 5U01DK116040-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11372875 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are African American individuals involved in kidney transplantation, including both donors and recipients, and those with a recent African ancestry
✕Less likely to help
Patients not involved in transplantation or without African American ancestry may have less direct relevance to this study’s aims.
What this research studies
If you or a loved one are involved with kidney transplants, this project collects data from many centers to understand how APOL1 gene variants impact long-term transplant success. It follows deceased and living donors to see how donor genetics relate to graft function and patient health after transplantation. The study uses real-world transplant data to improve donor-recipient matching and post-transplant care. It’s designed to help doctors make better, genetics-informed decisions for African American patients and families affected by kidney disease.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better donor-recipient matching and post-transplant care could improve graft survival and patient health in the African American community.
How similar studies have gone: Prior observations suggest APOL1 variants influence transplant outcomes; this project aims to provide more definitive, prospective data.
Where this research is happening
-
Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Winston-Salem, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Freedman, Barry Ira — Wake Forest University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Freedman, Barry Ira
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Strategies for HIV-to-HIV kidney transplants to increase organ donations
This project looks at making HIV-to-HIV kidney transplantation more common to help people with HIV get transplants faster by boosting organ donation and changing practice.
-
Biomarker-guided Immunosuppression in Kidney Transplant Patients
A multicenter study in kidney transplant recipients is testing whether a biomarker score from HLA-DR/DQ can guide changes in immunosuppression to reduce rejection risk and drug toxicity.
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Helping the immune system accept a donated kidney in patients without prior sensitization
This project will try giving specially treated donor B cells alongside immune-sparing medicines to teach the immune systems of kidney transplant patients without prior antibodies to accept the new kidney.
-
Lowering donor-specific antibodies in sensitized kidney transplant patients
This project works to reduce harmful donor-specific antibodies in people who are sensitized and need a kidney transplant so their new organ lasts longer.
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Reducing geographic disparities in kidney transplant access with AI and operations research
Aiming to use AI and operations research to make kidney transplant access more fair across different regions in the U.S.
-
Centralized patient coaching to boost live donor kidney transplantation
A US-wide program trains patients, caregivers, and their networks with coaching to help them pursue living donor kidney transplantation.
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.