Fair and efficient heart transplant allocation using AI-powered continuous distribution
Official title: Integrating fairness, efficiency, and resilience into a continuous distribution system for heart transplant allocation
Funded at University of Chicago · NIH-11298724 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A NIH-funded project will develop fair and efficient computer-based methods to match donated hearts with patients needing transplants.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Chicago NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | August 13, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,568,536 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HL176972-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11298724 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults and children who are candidates for heart transplantation and their families.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not yet on the transplant waitlist or those not impacted by allocation policy changes may see limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project aims to create a continuous, AI-assisted system to allocate donor hearts more fairly and effectively. It will build and test prediction models for medical urgency and post-transplant survival using national transplant data. The team will work on algorithms that consider multiple patient attributes to improve how donor hearts are matched to recipients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could reduce delays and improve survival by better identifying the patients who need a transplant most and benefit most.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work shows promise in data-driven allocation, but this project seeks to refine accuracy and fairness within a national continuous-distribution framework.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Chicago
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Parker, William F — University of Chicago
- Study coordinator: Parker, William F
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Pediatric Heart Pump to Let Kids Go Home While Waiting for Transplant
A new ultra-low-power pediatric heart pump is being developed so children awaiting a heart transplant can go home or live with the device.
-
Predicting acute rejection in children after heart transplant
A study to improve how doctors predict if a child who has had a heart transplant will have acute rejection using noninvasive blood markers and advanced heart MRI analysis.
-
Molecular mismatch as a marker of immune risk in heart transplant patients
A study to see if specific biological differences between donor and recipient hearts can predict immune reactions and guide personalized immunosuppression in people who receive heart transplants.
-
Better ways to find heart transplant rejection in children
This research aims to find less invasive and more accurate ways to detect when a child's body is rejecting a new heart.
-
Investigating a medication to protect kidney function in heart transplant patients
This study is looking at whether a medication called empagliflozin can help improve kidney health and overall well-being in heart transplant patients who are at risk for kidney and heart problems, and we're inviting Veterans to join us in this important research.
-
Discovering biomarkers to improve heart transplant outcomes
This study is looking at how new technologies can help find important signs in heart transplant patients to better predict and manage issues like rejection, so that doctors can provide more personalized care and improve recovery for those patients.
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.