Early liver transplant for severe alcoholic hepatitis
Official title: Multidisciplinary approach to study of patients with Severe Alcoholic Hepatitis Undergoing Liver Transplantation
Funded at Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11101244 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at using earlier liver transplants to save people with life-threatening severe alcoholic hepatitis who do not get better with medical treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2019 |
| Project end | May 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,694,816 |
| NIH project number | 5P50AA027054-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11101244 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with severe alcoholic hepatitis who are not responding to medical treatment and face very high short-term risk of death, and who are being considered for early liver transplant.
✕Less likely to help
People with mild alcohol-related liver disease, those who can safely wait the usual time before transplant, or those who are not transplant candidates are unlikely to benefit from this program.
What this research studies
From a patient's view, the team collects information on people with severe alcoholic hepatitis who are too sick to wait the usual 6-month sobriety period and may receive an early liver transplant. They follow clinical outcomes such as survival, return to alcohol use, and quality of life after transplant and compare these to more typical transplant recipients. The program pools the largest cohort of such patients through the DELTA Center at Johns Hopkins and uses standardized psychosocial evaluations and follow-up procedures. The aim is to refine who should be eligible for early transplant and to track long-term outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could increase access to lifesaving transplants for patients dying from severe alcoholic hepatitis and help create fair, evidence-based listing rules.
How similar studies have gone: Johns Hopkins' pilot experience and other small series have shown excellent one-year survival and similar relapse rates after early transplant, but larger and longer-term data and national consensus remain limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cameron, Andrew M. — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Cameron, Andrew M.
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Early Liver Transplant for Severe Alcoholic Hepatitis
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Early liver transplant for severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH) to save lives
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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.