Early liver transplant for severe alcoholic hepatitis
Official title: Project 1-Cohort/Ethics Study of Patients with Severe Alcoholic Hepatitis undergoing Early Liver Transplantation
Funded at Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11101251 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project offers early liver transplants to people with life-threatening severe alcoholic hepatitis who are too sick to wait the usual six months of sobriety.
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) | $268,604 |
| NIH project number | 5P50AA027054-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11101251 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with severe alcoholic hepatitis who are critically ill, not responding to medical therapy, and facing high short-term risk of death are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People with mild alcohol-related liver disease or those already meeting conventional six-month sobriety requirements are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
You would join a group of patients tracked by the DELTA Center at Johns Hopkins who are considered for early liver transplant because standard medical care hasn't worked. Doctors collect medical information, transplant decisions, and follow-up data on survival, alcohol use, and quality of life after transplant. The project compares outcomes for people who receive transplants early with those who wait or do not get transplanted and also examines the ethical criteria used to list patients. Long-term follow-up and standardized data collection are used to learn which patients are most likely to benefit from early transplant.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could expand life-saving access to liver transplant for people with severe alcoholic hepatitis by clarifying who benefits from early transplantation.
How similar studies have gone: Prior single-center pilot work from this team showed good one-year survival and similar relapse rates after early transplant, though larger, multi-center evidence is still 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.
Related research
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HOPE liver transplant: reducing infections and cancer risk for HIV-positive recipients
This grant aims to better understand why HIV-positive liver transplant recipients face higher infection and cancer risks and to improve safety and outcomes for these patients.
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Early liver transplant decisions for severe alcohol-related liver disease
A large study follows adults with severe alcohol-related liver disease to understand how to best select and manage patients for early liver transplantation.
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Early Liver Transplant for Severe Alcoholic Hepatitis
A hospital-based program is studying whether offering an early liver transplant to patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis can save lives when standard medical treatment fails.
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Early liver transplant for severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH) to save lives
A Johns Hopkins program is testing whether giving an early liver transplant to patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis who can’t be helped by standard treatments can save lives and reduce relapse risk.
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.