Immune signs that predict CMV after liver transplant
Official title: Immune signatures of CMV disease risk after orthotopic liver transplant
Funded at University of Washington · NIH-11330510 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Looks for patterns in antibodies and immune cells that predict who will get CMV disease after a liver transplant.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | May 9, 2025 |
| Project end | April 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $733,731 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI189491-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11330510 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who have received or will receive an orthotopic liver transplant, especially recipients whose donor was CMV-positive while the recipient was CMV-negative.
✕Less likely to help
People who have not had a liver transplant or who are already CMV-seropositive are unlikely to benefit directly from this specific project.
What this research studies
If you had a liver transplant, researchers will study blood samples to measure CMV antibodies, neutralizing antibody activity, and immune cell markers. They will compare people who developed CMV disease after transplant with those who did not to find immune patterns linked to higher risk. The team will combine antibody measurements with T cell and NK cell profiles to build a risk signature. Some work will use stored samples from a previous liver transplant trial and new laboratory tests to refine a clinical risk tool.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could help doctors identify transplant patients at higher risk for CMV so antiviral prevention can be better targeted.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work, including the CAPSIL trial, showed pre-emptive therapy lowered CMV disease and linked T cell, NK cell, and neutralizing antibody changes to protection, but creating a combined humoral risk signature is a newer step.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Washington
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ford, Emily — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Ford, Emily
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Innate and Adaptive Immunoregulation in Liver Transplant Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury
A liver transplant-focused project investigates how the body’s early and later immune responses affect transplant failure or success after reperfusion.
-
Biomarker-guided reduction of immunosuppression after liver transplant
A multicenter trial tests whether using blood biomarkers to guide tapering of immunosuppression in adults with liver transplants can keep people healthy while lowering drug exposure.
-
Understanding how liver disease progresses in people waiting for a liver transplant
A study will build a knowledge base that maps how liver disease worsens over time in patients on the transplant waitlist to improve care and planning.
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Biomarkers to tailor liver transplant immunosuppression
A multi-center study using blood biomarkers to guide how immunosuppressive drugs are given to liver transplant patients.
-
Pre-Transplant Immune Health Marker Panel to Predict Liver Transplant Outcomes
A patient-facing biomarker test used before liver transplant to help doctors estimate the risk of early death after the transplant.
-
Thinking skills and self-care after a liver transplant
This project follows people who received liver transplants to learn how changes in thinking and memory affect managing medicines, clinic visits, and overall health.
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.