Division of Abdominal Transplantation Receives $3.6M For Pediatric Transplant Research

February 12, 2018

The National Institutes of Health has awarded Stanford's Division of Abdominal Transplantation two U01 grants to perform innovative studies on samples from pediatric transplant recipients. The total awarded for these grants is more than $1,200,000 each year for the next three years. The studies receiving funding are:

· Exosomes and the Immune Response in Allograft Outcomes in Pediatric Transplant Recipients (Krams, Martinez, Esquivel, Boyd, Bendall, Bernstein, Weinberg, Trickey); and

· The Impact of Epstein-Barr Virus Infection on the Immune Response in Pediatric Transplant Recipients (Martinez, Krams, Esquivel, Boyd, Bendall, Davis, Weinberg, Bernstein, Trickey).

Both studies utilize patient samples from more than 900 children who are enrolled in the on-going Stanford clinical trial: CTOT-C06, Biomarkers for Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorders in Children.

Dr. Olivia Martinez’s research will focus on Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and how the infection shapes the post-transplant immune response in pediatric transplant recipients.

“EBV is associated with serious complications in children who receive organ transplants,” said Martinez. “The study will use high dimensional, cutting-edge approaches with the goal of identifying unique immune-based signatures that promote functional EBV immunity and long-term graft survival.”

The study led by Dr. Sheri Krams will examine the innate and alloimmune responses after transplant.

“Specifically, the role of exosomes and the miRNome will be analyzed to establish markers associated with acute rejection and stable graft function,” said Krams. “These new awards will allow us develop novel immune-mediated biomarkers that are associated with, and predictive of, graft outcomes and protection from viral infection, and thus bring a personalized approach to the medical management of children that receive organ transplants.”