Making donated lungs last longer after transplant
Official title: Immunoengineering of donor lungs to optimize long-term graft function
Funded at University Health Network · NIH-11249981 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses gene editing and immune therapies applied to donor lungs during outside-the-body preservation to reduce inflammation and help transplant patients keep their new lungs longer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University Health Network NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Toronto, Canada) |
| Project start | February 12, 2024 |
| Project end | December 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $602,867 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI173319-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11249981 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people listed for lung transplantation or those receiving donor lungs at transplant centers that use the EVLP platform, especially if offered a marginal lung treated on EVLP.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not eligible for lung transplantation or who need other organ transplants would not directly benefit from this work.
What this research studies
If you need a lung transplant, donated lungs will be kept breathing and warm on a special machine called ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP). While the lungs are on EVLP, researchers will apply targeted gene editing and immune-regulatory cell approaches to boost anti-inflammatory signals like IL-10 and introduce regulatory T cells that resist common drugs. The team aims to repair marginal donor lungs, lower the chance of early and chronic rejection, and expand the pool of usable organs. These steps are done before the lung is put into a person, with the goal of improving long-term graft function.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lower early graft failure and chronic rejection, improving survival and quality of life after lung transplant.
How similar studies have gone: EVLP is an established technique and early lab work supports IL-10 and regulatory T cell strategies, but applying somatic cell gene editing during EVLP is a newer, emerging approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University Health Network
Toronto, Canada Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Keshavjee, Shaf — University Health Network
- Study coordinator: Keshavjee, Shaf
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
North American Star Consortium: Advancing Early Therapeutics in Cancer
A nationwide network of cancer centers is extending support to run early-stage cancer drug trials, helping eligible patients access promising therapies more quickly.
-
Reference values and decision points for swallowing test scans (VF) across adults
Aims to create reliable age-appropriate reference values for swallowing test scans to improve diagnosis for adults with swallowing problems.
-
Creating access to lung transplant for high-risk candidates
A national effort aims to improve how people with very high risk, such as those with ARDS or on ECMO, can access life-saving lung transplants and have better outcomes.
-
Wild-like mice to better mirror human immune responses in cancer and immunotherapy
A grant to develop lab-made “wild-like” mice that have adult-like immune systems to improve how well mouse studies predict human cancer and immune therapies.
-
Liquid biopsy for brain tumors: using DNA methylation in blood to guide brain cancer care
A study aims to test if measuring DNA methylation patterns in blood can reliably help diagnose brain tumors and monitor treatment without invasive brain surgery.
-
Expanding lung transplant access for high-risk patients
This program works to make lung transplants more safely available and improve care for high-risk candidates such as highly sensitized people, patients on ECMO waiting for transplant, and those with ARDS including COVID-related ARDS.
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.