Precision diagnostics to predict treatment resistance in kidney transplant rejection
Official title: Precision Diagnostics in T-cell Mediated Rejection: Predicting Treatment Resistance at Time of Diagnosis
Funded at Nephropathology Associates · NIH-11315213 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A small, patient-focused test using a kidney biopsy and gene patterns to help doctors decide the best immune-suppression plan at the moment a transplant shows rejection.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 1 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Nephropathology Associates NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Little Rock, United States) |
| Project start | August 12, 2026 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $266,613 |
| NIH project number | 1R43AI197708-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11315213 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who have undergone kidney transplantation and are experiencing acute T-cell mediated rejection.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without rejection or with non-T-cell mediated rejection may not benefit from this test.
What this research studies
This phase I SBIR aims to create a rapid, clinically actionable gene-expression test from diagnostic kidney biopsy tissue to predict whether current treatments for acute T-cell mediated rejection will work. The test uses whole transcriptome data and a new clinical definition of treatment resistance to guide personalized therapy decisions that could reduce unnecessary immunosuppression and its risks. If successful, it could help clinicians tailor treatment to improve graft survival and patient well-being after transplantation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If the test works, patients could receive more effective therapies faster and avoid treatments that won’t help, reducing complications and improving transplant outcomes.
How similar studies have gone: Previous rejection management tools have had limited ability to predict response; this project seeks to provide a rapid, actionable predictor.
Where this research is happening
-
Nephropathology Associates
Little Rock, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Larsen, Christopher P — Nephropathology Associates
- Study coordinator: Larsen, Christopher P
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Injecting immune-boosting medicine into melanoma tumors to help the immune system reject them
This gives an immune-boosting drug directly into melanoma tumors in pet dogs to help their T cells find and destroy the cancer.
-
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.
-
Targeting graft T cells to reduce transplant rejection
A patient-facing study exploring how immune cells within transplanted organs drive rejection and how we might reduce trouble for people who need organ transplants.
-
Engineered kidney 'chip' to study antibody-driven rejection and how the body adapts
A kidney-rejection research grant is developing a miniaturized, human cell–based chip to model how antibodies cause rejection and how kidneys may adapt.
-
Social media, mood, and teens: how the menstrual cycle affects rejection feelings and online experiences
Teenagers using social media may feel stronger negative reactions to online feedback, especially around certain times in their menstrual cycle, which could relate to mood and depression.
-
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.
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.