Improving Liver Transplants by Understanding Immune Responses
Official title: Innate-Adaptive Immunoregulation in Liver Transplant Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury
Funded at University of California Los Angeles · NIH-11176116 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research aims to improve the success of liver transplants by understanding how the body's immune system reacts to the new organ, especially when the donated liver is more delicate.
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) | $1,939,440 |
| NIH project number | 5P01AI120944-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11176116 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients who are candidates for liver transplantation, particularly those who might receive a donor organ considered more susceptible to injury, are the focus of this research.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not undergoing or considering liver transplantation would not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
Liver transplantation is a life-saving treatment, but there aren't enough organs, so doctors sometimes use donor livers that are more susceptible to damage when blood flow returns after surgery. This damage, called ischemia-reperfusion injury, happens because of an imbalance in the immune system's response from both the donor liver and the patient's body. Our team is working to find new ways to make donor livers healthier, protect them from immediate stress during transplant, and prevent long-term inflammation. We are specifically looking at how a molecule called CEACAM1 influences these immune responses to improve the chances of a successful transplant.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new treatments that improve the health of donor livers, reduce complications after transplant, and ultimately increase the number of successful liver transplants for patients in need.
How similar studies have gone: This is a renewal of an existing program, indicating prior success in related areas, while also exploring newly discovered immune mechanisms.
Where this research is happening
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University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kupiec-Weglinski, Jerzy W — University of California Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Kupiec-Weglinski, Jerzy W
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.