How long the shingles (zoster) vaccine protects people with kidney failure, before and after transplant
Official title: PERSISTENCE OF IMMUNE RESPONSES TO THE RECOMBINANT ZOSTER VACCINE IN IMMUNE COMPROMISED HOSTS WITH END-STAGE RENAL DISEASE WITH AND WITHOUT KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION
Funded at University of Colorado Denver · NIH-11285305 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project checks how long the shingles vaccine protects adults with end-stage kidney disease who are waiting for or have received a kidney transplant.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Colorado Denver NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Aurora, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | March 6, 2019 |
| Project end | February 28, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $788,746 |
| NIH project number | 5U01AI141919-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11285305 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who are awaiting kidney transplant or who have had a transplant and are eligible for the recombinant zoster vaccine are the intended participants.
✕Less likely to help
People who do not have kidney failure, are under age 50, or who cannot receive the zoster vaccine (for example due to allergy) would not be expected to benefit from participation.
What this research studies
You would get the standard two-dose recombinant zoster vaccine while waiting for a kidney transplant and give blood samples that researchers will use to study your immune cells and blood chemicals. If you get a transplant, some people will be randomly chosen to get a third vaccine dose while others will not, and everyone is followed with regular visits and blood draws for months afterward. The team will compare immune and metabolomic patterns from people with kidney failure to results from healthy adults age 50 and older to see what differs. This work uses stored plasma and PBMC (immune cell) samples to track both short- and long-term immune memory after vaccination.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Results could help doctors pick the best timing and booster plans to give better shingles protection to people with kidney failure and transplants.
How similar studies have gone: The recombinant zoster vaccine has shown strong protection in healthy adults 50+ and reduced responses have been seen in transplant recipients, but detailed immune and metabolomic profiling in ESRD patients is less well studied.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Colorado Denver
Aurora, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Weinberg, Adriana — University of Colorado Denver
- Study coordinator: Weinberg, Adriana
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Biomarker-guided Immunosuppression in Kidney Transplant Patients
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Helping the immune system accept a donated kidney in patients without prior sensitization
This project will try giving specially treated donor B cells alongside immune-sparing medicines to teach the immune systems of kidney transplant patients without prior antibodies to accept the new kidney.
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This project works to reduce harmful donor-specific antibodies in people who are sensitized and need a kidney transplant so their new organ lasts longer.
-
How life circumstances affect brain aging in people with end-stage kidney disease
This project looks at how neighborhood, income, education, and personal resilience relate to earlier memory and thinking problems in adults with end-stage kidney disease.
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.