Clazakizumab to lower immune damage after lung transplant

Targeting Inflammation and Alloimmunity in Lung Transplant Recipients With Clazakizumab

NIH-funded research Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11120969

This project gives the drug clazakizumab to people who have had a lung transplant to try to reduce harmful inflammation and prevent rejection.

Quick facts

Grant typeU01 cooperative agreement
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionMassachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Boston, United States)
Project IDNIH-11120969 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you have had a lung transplant, this project would give clazakizumab, a medicine that blocks the inflammatory signal IL-6, early after transplant. You would be followed with regular clinic visits, blood tests for donor-specific antibodies and immune cell changes, and lung function checks to see if inflammation and rejection are reduced. The team will also look at tissue and immune markers to understand how the drug changes the immune response that leads to chronic lung graft damage. The goal is to link these immune changes to how your lungs are doing over time.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults who have recently received a lung transplant, especially those at higher risk for antibody-mediated rejection or early inflammatory complications.

Not a fit: People without a lung transplant, those with long-standing, advanced chronic lung allograft dysfunction, or patients who cannot receive additional immunomodulatory therapy are unlikely to benefit.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the treatment could lower rejection, protect the transplanted lung from chronic damage, and improve long-term survival and lung function.

How similar studies have performed: Blocking IL-6 helped reduce harmful antibodies and improved outcomes in some kidney transplant patients and animal studies show benefit, but this approach is newer for lung transplant care.

Where this research is happening

Boston, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-10 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.