Better donor organ checks to improve kidney transplant outcomes
Official title: Assessment of Donor Quality for Improving Kidney Transplant Outcomes
Funded at University of Maryland Baltimore · NIH-11332443 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks for cell and gene markers in donor kidneys and in transplant recipients' blood that predict which deceased-donor transplants will work best.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Maryland Baltimore NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2017 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $618,786 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK109581-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11332443 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people receiving a deceased‑donor kidney transplant at centers that collect donor biopsies and blood samples and who can return for follow-up visits.
✕Less likely to help
People receiving living-donor transplants, those whose transplant centers do not collect donor biopsies or paired blood samples, or those unable to attend follow-up visits are less likely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
If you are getting a deceased-donor kidney, researchers will study small samples taken from the donor kidney and blood from transplant recipients to look at gene activity and individual cell types. They use single-cell and single-nucleus RNA sequencing to identify donor and recipient cells linked to later chronic injury and lower kidney function. The team links these molecular and cellular profiles to outcomes such as estimated GFR up to 24 months after transplant. Results aim to reveal early donor–recipient interactions that signal higher risk of long-term graft damage.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help doctors choose healthier donor kidneys and tailor treatments to prevent chronic graft injury, improving long-term transplant survival.
How similar studies have gone: The team previously found a donor kidney gene‑expression signature linked to 24‑month graft function, and single‑cell methods are promising but still emerging for predicting long-term transplant outcomes.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Maryland Baltimore
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mas, Valeria Raquel — University of Maryland Baltimore
- Study coordinator: Mas, Valeria Raquel
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Microbial clues to diagnose and predict infections in kidney transplant patients
A patient-focused project will look for microbial biomarkers in stool, blood, and urine to help doctors predict and diagnose infections in people who have had a kidney transplant.
-
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.
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Complement-Bound Exosomes and Kidney Transplant Immunity
This project studies how kidney transplant injury and rejection happen after surgery and whether blocking certain immune pathways during organ preservation could improve transplant outcomes.
-
Blood vessel signals predicting heart problems after kidney transplant
This project studies blood markers and tissue patterns after kidney transplants to identify which patients are at highest risk of cardiovascular problems.
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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.
-
Characterization of a LILRB3 SNP cluster and its link to kidney transplant outcomes
A study in kidney transplant recipients looks at genetic factors that may be tied to higher risk of graft failure.
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.