Pre-Transplant Immune Health Marker Panel to Predict Liver Transplant Outcomes
Official title: Multi-Center Validation and Biologic Assessment of a Novel Pre-Transplant Biomarker Panel to Predict Liver Transplant Recipient Mortality
Funded at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences · NIH-11399963 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A patient-facing biomarker test used before liver transplant to help doctors estimate the risk of early death after the transplant.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 20, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $670,757 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK137222-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11399963 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults listed for liver transplantation who are being evaluated for transplant consideration at participating centers.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose immune profiles do not show frailty or those not undergoing liver transplantation may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project tests a pre-transplant biomarker panel called LIFI to identify patients at higher risk of early mortality after a liver transplant. The study involves multiple centers and uses blood-based markers to gauge immune system health before transplantation. If successful, this could help doctors make more informed decisions about who should transplant and how to manage high-risk patients. The approach aims to reduce futile transplants and improve waitlist and post-transplant care by better understanding immune frailty.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could receive more personalized transplant decisions and closer monitoring to prevent early post-transplant death.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work showed that LIFI could predict one-year mortality with high accuracy in a discovery cohort, and this multicenter validation seeks to confirm usefulness in broader practice.
Where this research is happening
-
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Newark, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lunsford, Keri Elizabeth — Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Lunsford, Keri Elizabeth
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Biomarkers to tailor liver transplant immunosuppression
A multi-center study using blood biomarkers to guide how immunosuppressive drugs are given to liver transplant patients.
-
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.
-
Integrated care to improve outcomes after early liver transplant for alcohol-associated liver disease
A multi-center study will pair liver transplant care with behavioral and biopsychosocial support to help people with alcohol-related liver disease who are considered for early transplant.
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.