IL-33 helps protect heart transplant patients from long-term rejection
Official title: Immunoregulatory Mechanisms of IL-33 in Heart Transplantation
Funded at University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh · NIH-11386616 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant studies how a natural molecule called IL-33 may shield heart transplant patients from ongoing immune damage and chronic rejection.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | August 10, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $594,615 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL122489-10 |
| Project ID | NIH-11386616 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pediatric and adult heart transplant recipients or samples from such patients, with consent, who have or are at risk for graft inflammation and chronic rejection.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without access to transplantation or those not experiencing graft inflammation may not directly benefit from these findings.
What this research studies
After a heart transplant, the body’s innate and adaptive immune responses can damage the graft through inflammatory signals. The project looks at IL-33, a molecule released during graft injury, to see how it might promote repair and limit harmful immune activity in the transplanted heart. Using pediatric patient samples and a mouse model, researchers will explore how IL-33 affects monocytes and macrophages in the graft to prevent vasculopathy and fibrosis. This work could uncover strategies to improve graft survival and long-term outcomes for transplant recipients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could lead to new approaches that reduce chronic rejection and improve graft longevity for heart transplant patients.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies show that targeting DAMPs and related pathways can modulate transplant inflammation, with promising signals for IL-33–mediated protection in preclinical models.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Turnquist, Heth R — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Turnquist, Heth R
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Targeted immune treatments to protect donated hearts
This project develops ways to send immune-suppressing medicines directly to the lymph nodes and the transplanted heart to help people with heart transplants avoid rejection while reducing side effects.
-
Targeted mRNA delivery to improve heart transplants from donation after circulatory death
This grant tests a new mRNA delivery approach to help donor hearts from donors after circulatory death survive and function better after transplant.
-
Belatacept to reduce rejection and protect kidneys after a heart transplant
This trial will compare continuing tacrolimus to gradually switching to belatacept over nine months in people receiving a first-time heart transplant to lower rejection, prevent donor-specific antibodies, and protect kidney function.
-
Partial heart transplant to give growing heart valves to children
This work tries transplanting only the donor heart part that contains a valve so children can get a valve that grows with them.
-
Predicting Heart Transplant Rejection Risk Before Surgery
This research aims to find ways to predict which heart transplant patients might reject their new heart, helping doctors tailor their medication plans.
-
How IL-33 may protect transplanted hearts
This work looks at whether a natural protein called IL-33 can reduce inflammation and scarring after a heart transplant for transplant recipients.
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.