Cell therapies to help lung transplant patients accept new lungs without lifelong immune-suppressing drugs
Official title: Project 2: The New Era of Cellular Therapies For Lung Transplant Tolerance
Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11285373 · Data updated 2026-11-12
New bone marrow conditioning and regulatory T‑cell therapies aim to help people who receive lung transplants keep their new lungs long-term without chronic immunosuppression.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | March 23, 2023 |
| Project end | February 29, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,033,275 |
| NIH project number | 5U19AI174967-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11285373 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults who are awaiting or have recently received a lung transplant and are willing to consider novel immune-tolerance cellular therapies at a transplant center would be the most relevant candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without lung transplants, patients whose graft problems are non-immune in nature, or those with contraindications to cellular therapies would not be expected to benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers are developing safer, targeted bone marrow conditioning regimens, drugs that support regulatory T cells, and engineered CD4+/FoxP3+ Tregs to reset immunity toward tolerance. Much of the project builds on recent non-human primate work that achieved durable mixed chimerism and long-term lung graft survival. The team will replace non-clinical agents with clinically acceptable approaches and address risks such as post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder. The goal is to create approaches that can move toward testing in people at transplant centers.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, lung transplant recipients could avoid lifelong immunosuppressive drugs, reduce rejection, and suffer fewer treatment-related toxicities.
How similar studies have gone: Related tolerance approaches have succeeded for kidney transplants in humans and primates, and recent primate lung work showed promise, but safer, clinically feasible methods remain unproven.
Where this research is happening
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Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kean, Leslie S — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Kean, Leslie S
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Exercise-based frailty program for people awaiting lung transplants
A tailored exercise and lifestyle program is being tested to reduce frailty and improve outcomes for people waiting for a lung transplant.
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Understanding why a lung transplant sometimes fails early and how to tailor treatment
A study of people receiving lung transplants to find molecular differences that cause early graft failure and point to better, personalized therapies.
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Targeting inflammation and alloimmunity in lung transplant recipients with clazakizumab
A study to see if blocking IL-6 with clazakizumab can improve survival and reduce rejection in people who have received a lung transplant.
-
Vaccination responses in lung transplant patients
This grant studies how people who have received lung transplants respond to COVID-19 vaccines and why their antibody responses may be limited.
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The Post-Lung Transplant Aging in Immune Cells in Donor Lungs
This grant explores how aging donor lungs affect lung transplant outcomes by studying immune cells called alveolar macrophages.
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Predictors of Lung Transplant Success and Costs
This study looks at what pre-transplant patient factors and biology predict a smooth recovery and lower costs after lung transplant.
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.