UAB takes part in $17 million study on kidney transplants

Aug 5, 2014, 10:41am CDT
UAB takes part in $17 million study on kidney transplants
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UAB will partner with three other institutions and take part in a $17 million study on kidney transplants.

Alan Alexander
Reporter-
Birmingham Business Journal
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The University of Alabama at Birmingham will take part in a $17 million multicenter study funded over a seven year period by the National Institutes of Health to research how certain drugs and cells used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis can help improve the long-term health of kidney transplant patients.
The principle investigator in the grant will be Dr. Rosalyn Mannon, professor in the UAB School of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology and professor of surgery in the Division of Transplantation.
“In the current funded projects, we collaborate with other institutions on three clinical trials devoted to kidney transplant patients," Mannon said. "We have 27 UAB patients enrolled to study a novel combination of immunosuppression with a total of 65 enrolled in all three sites Additionally, one study is specifically for kidney and pancreas transplant recipients, and is one of the first studies in this patient population to be performed in the past 15 years. To be a part of this new multicenter study is great news. We will continue to participate in these cutting-edge national research efforts.”
UAB will join forces with the University of California-San Francisco, Emory University and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
The goal of the study is to reduce or eliminate inflammation in kidney transplants and prevent the associated decline in graft function, thereby maximizing long-term organ survival. It will involve two clinical trials in parallel by researchers at all four sites.
Alan Alexander covers health care, technology and education for the Birmingham Business Journal. Click here to follow him on Twitter.

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