Improving Liver Transplant Outcomes by Understanding Immune Responses
Official title: Innate-Adaptive Immunoregulation in Liver Transplant Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury
Funded at University of California Los Angeles · NIH-11176154 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project aims to understand how the body's immune system reacts during liver transplantation to help prevent complications and improve patient recovery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2017 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $390,000 |
| NIH project number | 5P01AI120944-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11176154 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients undergoing liver transplantation who experience or are at risk for ischemia and reperfusion injury would be the primary beneficiaries of this research.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not undergoing liver transplantation or those with other types of organ transplants may not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
When a new liver is transplanted, it can experience damage from a process called ischemia and reperfusion injury, which happens when blood flow returns to the organ. This damage can lead to serious problems like the new liver not working well or being rejected by the body. Our team is looking closely at how the immune system contributes to this injury in human liver transplant patients. By identifying specific immune signals and cell behaviors, we hope to find new ways to protect the transplanted liver. This understanding could lead to better treatments and longer-lasting liver transplants for patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new treatments that reduce complications after liver transplantation, improving the health and longevity of transplanted organs.
How similar studies have gone: While previous studies in animal models have shown the immune system's role in liver injury, this project seeks to confirm and expand these findings specifically in human liver transplantation.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Reed, Elaine F — University of California Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Reed, Elaine F
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.