Phage therapy to prevent recurrent UTIs in kidney transplant patients
Official title: Phage Therapy for Recurrent UTIs in Kidney Transplant Recipients
Funded at University of California, San Diego · NIH-11387805 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A small clinical trial will test whether targeted viruses (phages) can lower recurrent urinary infections in women with kidney transplants, using phages that attack E. coli and K. pneumoniae.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project start | August 16, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $317,976 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK134726-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11387805 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adult female kidney transplant recipients with a history of recurrent UTIs.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without recurrent UTIs or those who cannot tolerate phage therapy may not benefit.
What this research studies
In kidney transplant recipients, recurrent UTIs can cause serious complications and current antibiotics have downsides like side effects and resistance. This study will give a phage-based treatment aimed at the bacteria most often causing these infections, and compare it to placebo to see if it is safe, tolerable, and capable of reducing UTI events. The trial will also examine how phage therapy changes the patients’ gut and urinary microbiomes. Participants will be adult female KTRs with a history of rUTI and will be monitored for safety, infection rates, and microbiome shifts. Results will guide whether phage therapy could become a new option for preventing rUTIs in transplant patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, phage therapy could reduce UTIs and antibiotic use in kidney transplant recipients.
How similar studies have gone: Phage therapy has shown safety and preliminary efficacy in other infections, with ongoing clinical trials for various indications.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Aslam, Saima — University of California, San Diego
- Study coordinator: Aslam, Saima
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Microbial clues to diagnose and predict infections in kidney transplant patients
A patient-focused project will look for microbial biomarkers in stool, blood, and urine to help doctors predict and diagnose infections in people who have had a kidney transplant.
-
Immunological mechanisms behind treatment-resistant kidney transplant rejection
This grant explores why certain kidney transplant rejections don’t respond to standard treatments and what immune cells in the graft are driving that resistance.
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Complement-Bound Exosomes and Kidney Transplant Immunity
This project studies how kidney transplant injury and rejection happen after surgery and whether blocking certain immune pathways during organ preservation could improve transplant outcomes.
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Blood vessel signals predicting heart problems after kidney transplant
This project studies blood markers and tissue patterns after kidney transplants to identify which patients are at highest risk of cardiovascular problems.
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Understanding how BK virus links infection to kidney transplant rejection
This project looks at how BK polyomavirus reactivation affects kidney transplant patients and aims to use pre-transplant T cell information to tailor immunosuppression and monitoring.
-
Characterization of a LILRB3 SNP cluster and its link to kidney transplant outcomes
A study in kidney transplant recipients looks at genetic factors that may be tied to higher risk of graft failure.
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.