Blood microRNA test to monitor immune balance after heart transplant
Official title: Phenotyping Net Immune State with MicroRNAs in Cardiac Transplantation
Funded at Inova Health Care Services · NIH-11295388 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A blood microRNA test will track immune balance in adults after heart transplant to help tailor their immunosuppressive medicines.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Inova Health Care Services NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Fairfax, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | March 4, 2025 |
| Project end | January 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $672,766 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL173248-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11295388 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (21+) who have received a heart transplant and are willing to attend follow-up visits and provide serial blood samples and clinical information.
✕Less likely to help
People without a heart transplant, children under 21, or those unable or unwilling to provide blood samples or follow-up care would not directly benefit from this project.
What this research studies
You would have regular blood draws to measure tiny RNA molecules called microRNAs that circulate in your blood. Those microRNA patterns will be linked to your medication doses, infections, and any rejection events from your medical records. The team will use sequencing and deep clinical information to create a panel of microRNAs that flag when you are over- or under-immunosuppressed. That panel is meant to help doctors adjust immunosuppressive drugs more precisely and sooner than current methods.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help personalize immunosuppression to lower risks of rejection, infection, and medication-related organ damage.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary data and early studies suggest circulating microRNAs can reflect immune activity after transplant, but this approach still needs larger clinical validation to guide treatment.
Where this research is happening
-
Inova Health Care Services
Fairfax, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shah, Palak — Inova Health Care Services
- Study coordinator: Shah, Palak
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.