Molecular clues to liver transplant injury and recovery
Official title: The Molecular Landscape of Liver Transplant Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury: Insights into Tissue Repair, Regeneration and Outcome Risk Stratification
Funded at University of Maryland Baltimore · NIH-11318279 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant studies how donor liver cells respond to injury during transplant to improve how we pick and care for livers for patients who need a transplant.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Maryland Baltimore NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | September 18, 2026 |
| Project end | July 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $772,331 |
| NIH project number | 1R01DK143590-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11318279 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients awaiting liver transplantation or those who have already received a liver graft, including recipients of extended-criteria donors.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose livers are not affected by IRI or who do not undergo normothermic machine perfusion may see less direct benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers will analyze liver donor cells from two large biobanks to understand what cellular states and interactions predict inflammation, repair, and graft success after transplant. They will compare livers preserved by cold storage versus those treated with normothermic machine perfusion to see which approach better preserves function for different donor types. The goal is to identify molecular profiles that forecast injury and recovery so clinicians can select organs more wisely and tailor post-transplant care. This work could lead to better guidance on which livers will perform best and how to mitigate reperfusion injury.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could improve organ utilization and post-transplant outcomes by enabling better donor selection and targeted therapies to reduce injury.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have linked cellular profiles to graft outcomes, but this project combines two large cohorts and dynamic preservation methods for stronger insights.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Maryland Baltimore
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mas, Valeria Raquel — University of Maryland Baltimore
- Study coordinator: Mas, Valeria Raquel
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.
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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.
-
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.