Inflammation after organ transplant

Post-Transplant Inflammatory Response

NIH-funded research Cleveland Clinic Lerner Com-Cwru · NIH-11232325

Looking at how prior immune memory cells and tissue damage from low blood flow cause inflammation that can harm transplanted organs in people receiving solid organ transplants.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionCleveland Clinic Lerner Com-Cwru NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Cleveland, United States)
Project IDNIH-11232325 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you're getting an organ transplant, this research looks at why transplanted organs become inflamed and injured soon after surgery. The team compares organs that were stored longer before transplant to those with shorter storage, tracks donor-reactive memory CD4 and CD8 T cells, and measures inflammatory molecules such as IFN-γ in graft tissue and blood. They use patient blood and tissue samples alongside lab models of transplantation to see how ischemia-reperfusion injury and memory T cells interact to cause rejection. The goal is to identify signals that could be blocked to protect grafts and improve long-term outcomes.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: People planning to receive or who recently received a solid organ transplant (for example, kidney or heart) and willing to provide blood or tissue samples.

Not a fit: People without a transplant or those many years after a stable transplant with no signs of rejection are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: Could lead to ways to reduce early inflammation and lower the risk of acute rejection, improving transplant survival.

How similar studies have performed: Earlier animal and observational human studies have linked donor-reactive memory T cells and ischemia-reperfusion injury to worse graft outcomes, but the specific mechanisms this project targets remain to be worked out.

Where this research is happening

Cleveland, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.