Dapagliflozin to protect kidney transplant function and heart health
Official title: Efficacy and Mechanisms of Dapagliflozin in Promoting Kidney Function and Cardiovascular Health in Kidney Transplant Recipients
Funded at University of Colorado Denver · NIH-11238529 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research will test whether dapagliflozin helps adults with a kidney transplant—especially those with type 2 diabetes—keep their new kidney working and reduce heart-related problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Colorado Denver NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Aurora, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | December 16, 2023 |
| Project end | November 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $654,539 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK137844-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11238529 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults aged 21 and older who have received a kidney transplant—particularly those with type 2 diabetes or signs of kidney dysfunction such as albuminuria—are the intended candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People who are very early after transplant with unstable graft function, have contraindications to SGLT2 inhibitors (for example type 1 diabetes or recurrent severe genital infections), or have very low kidney filtration may not be eligible or likely to benefit.
What this research studies
If you join, you may take dapagliflozin (a diabetes medicine now used to protect kidneys) along with your regular transplant care while the team watches your health. The study will collect blood and urine tests, measure kidney oxygenation with MRI, and may use small kidney biopsy samples that researchers analyze with single-cell RNA sequencing to see how kidney cells respond. Doctors will follow kidney function, albumin levels, and heart-related events over time to link clinical outcomes with molecular changes. The approach combines clinical monitoring and detailed tissue analysis to learn both whether the drug helps and how it works in transplant patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help kidney transplant recipients preserve graft function longer and lower their risk of cardiovascular disease.
How similar studies have gone: Large trials in people with chronic kidney disease have shown SGLT2 inhibitors improve kidney and heart outcomes, but evidence specifically in kidney transplant recipients is limited and mainly preliminary.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Colorado Denver
Aurora, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kendrick, Jessica B — University of Colorado Denver
- Study coordinator: Kendrick, Jessica B
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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How Dapagliflozin may improve kidney function and heart health in kidney transplant patients
This study is looking at how the diabetes medication Dapagliflozin can help improve kidney function and heart health in people who have had kidney transplants, with the hope of reducing serious health issues like heart disease.
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Microbial clues to diagnose and predict infections in kidney transplant patients
A patient-focused project will look for microbial biomarkers in stool, blood, and urine to help doctors predict and diagnose infections in people who have had a kidney transplant.
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Immunological mechanisms behind treatment-resistant kidney transplant rejection
This grant explores why certain kidney transplant rejections don’t respond to standard treatments and what immune cells in the graft are driving that resistance.
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Complement-Bound Exosomes and Kidney Transplant Immunity
This project studies how kidney transplant injury and rejection happen after surgery and whether blocking certain immune pathways during organ preservation could improve transplant outcomes.
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Blood vessel signals predicting heart problems after kidney transplant
This project studies blood markers and tissue patterns after kidney transplants to identify which patients are at highest risk of cardiovascular problems.
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Understanding how BK virus links infection to kidney transplant rejection
This project looks at how BK polyomavirus reactivation affects kidney transplant patients and aims to use pre-transplant T cell information to tailor immunosuppression and monitoring.
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.