Novel ways to teach the body’s immune system to accept a lung transplant without heavy drugs
Official title: Novel Approaches to Inducing Lung Allograft Tolerance in NHPs
Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11595408 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new approach in nonhuman primates aims to make lung transplants last a lifetime with less need for ongoing medicines.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | March 23, 2023 |
| Project end | February 29, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $255,000 |
| NIH project number | 3U19AI174967-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11595408 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients who have or may need lung transplants and could benefit from less immunosuppression in the future.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not undergoing transplantation or not eligible for altered immunosuppression strategies may not benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital are testing a refined immune-conditioning approach that could help lung transplant patients avoid long-term immunosuppressive drugs. The work builds on prior findings that mixed chimerism—coexistence of donor and recipient immune cells—can support durable transplant tolerance, but earlier methods caused serious side effects. The current plan seeks to maintain durable donor-recipient immune balance while reducing toxicity, with the goal of enabling long-term, drug-free graft survival. This grant focuses on translating these immune strategies toward safer outcomes for lung transplant recipients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to longer-lasting lung transplants with less need for powerful immunosuppressive drugs.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work showed durable mixed chimerism can enable IS-free survival in some transplant models, but with significant toxicity; this project aims to improve safety and applicability.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Madsen, Joren C — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Madsen, Joren C
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.