Better kidney transplant outcomes for children
Advancing Transplantation Outcomes in Children
This project is trying a transplant treatment plan that lowers harmful donor-specific antibodies while protecting children's ability to fight infections after a kidney transplant.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11144452 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your child needs a kidney transplant, this project will try giving a new immunosuppression approach—starting belatacept together with an mTOR inhibitor—to prevent antibody attacks on the new kidney while keeping infection-fighting immunity working. Researchers will use precision monitoring tools to detect silent inflammation or early rejection inside the graft and will track antibody levels, graft function, and infection outcomes over time. The team aims to spare pathogen-specific immune memory while targeting donor-specific alloantibody production to preserve long-term transplant function. This work follows a small pilot that suggested the combination may be promising but needs larger pediatric testing.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Children with end-stage kidney disease who are receiving or have just received a kidney transplant and whose care team agrees to the treatment plan.
Not a fit: Adults, people without kidney transplants, or patients who cannot take belatacept or mTOR inhibitors may not benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could help children keep their transplanted kidneys longer while reducing serious infections and hospital stays.
How similar studies have performed: A recent small pilot showed promise for de novo belatacept plus mTOR inhibition in this setting, but larger pediatric data are limited.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston Children's Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Briscoe, David M. — Boston Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Briscoe, David M.
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 below.