Cell therapies to help lung transplant patients accept new lungs without lifelong immune-suppressing drugs
Project 2: The New Era of Cellular Therapies For Lung Transplant Tolerance
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 ID | NIH-11285373 on NIH RePORTER |
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.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: 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.
Not a fit: 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.
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 performed: 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
Boston, United States
- Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kean, Leslie S — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Kean, Leslie S
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.