This training grant has been created to increase excellent training of individuals in translational research who will pursue careers in basic and applied immunobiology of transplantation. Transplantation, now recognized as the optimal therapy for patients with many types of end-stage organ failure, is a highly specialized field in which immunology plays a crucial role. Future progress in organ transplantation will require the development of new classes of immunosuppressive agents associated with dramatically less toxicity but equal or greater potency than currently available regimens and the development of accurate methods of immune monitoring to assess immune responsiveness of graft recipients so that individualized immunosuppression regimens can be effectively provided. However, the field of transplantation can only fully advance if a more thorough understanding of the immune response to alloantigens, as well as to the antigens expressed by pathogenic micro-organisms and neoplastic cells, is achieved. At present, short term outcomes are improving, but consistent long term successful outcomes in transplantation are still beyond our reach. Given our current limited knowledge with respect to immunological processes in transplantation, attaining significant improvements in outcome will require a series of carefully structured studies in rodents, non-human primates, and ultimately in humans. To meet the demand to improve this field as quickly as possible, it will be necessary to recruit and retain substantially more investigators possessing both interest and expertise into the field of transplantation immunobiology, as the number of investigators in this field are currently under-represented, relative to those in other high demand fields such as oncology and cardiovascular disease research. This proposed training program seeks to recruit and rigorously train highly qualified and motivated pre-doctoral and post-doctoral candidates in translational research in transplantation immunology. It is hoped that they will pursue careers in the field of transplantation immunobiology, producing scientific advances that can be translated into improved clinical practice;thus, significantly improving the length and quality of life of transplant patients in the near future.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Institutional National Research Service Award (T32)
Project #
5T32AI070081-05
Application #
7858323
Study Section
Allergy & Clinical Immunology-1 (AITC)
Program Officer
Prograis, Lawrence J
Project Start
2006-09-01
Project End
2012-07-31
Budget Start
2010-08-01
Budget End
2012-07-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$77,161
Indirect Cost
Name
Emory University
Department
Surgery
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
066469933
City
Atlanta
State
GA
Country
United States
Zip Code
30322
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Badell, I R; La Muraglia 2nd, G M; Liu, D et al. (2018) Selective CD28 Blockade Results in Superior Inhibition of Donor-Specific T Follicular Helper Cell and Antibody Responses Relative to CTLA4-Ig. Am J Transplant 18:89-101
Kitchens, William H; Dong, Ying; Mathews, David V et al. (2017) Interruption of OX40L signaling prevents costimulation blockade-resistant allograft rejection. JCI Insight 2:e90317
Tedesco, Dana; Thapa, Manoj; Gumber, Sanjeev et al. (2017) CD4+ Foxp3+ T cells promote aberrant immunoglobulin G production and maintain CD8+ T-cell suppression during chronic liver disease. Hepatology 65:661-677
Crepeau, Rebecca L; Ford, Mandy L (2017) Challenges and opportunities in targeting the CD28/CTLA-4 pathway in transplantation and autoimmunity. Expert Opin Biol Ther 17:1001-1012
Kim, Steven C; Wang, Jun; Dong, Ying et al. (2017) Alloimmunity But Not Viral Immunity Promotes Allograft Loss in a Mouse Model of Polyomavirus-Associated Allograft Injury. Transplant Direct 3:e161
Mathews, D V; Wakwe, W C; Kim, S C et al. (2017) Belatacept-Resistant Rejection Is Associated With CD28+ Memory CD8 T Cells. Am J Transplant 17:2285-2299
Kim, S C; Wakwe, W; Higginbotham, L B et al. (2017) Fc-Silent Anti-CD154 Domain Antibody Effectively Prevents Nonhuman Primate Renal Allograft Rejection. Am J Transplant 17:1182-1192
Espinosa, J; Herr, F; Tharp, G et al. (2016) CD57(+) CD4 T Cells Underlie Belatacept-Resistant Allograft Rejection. Am J Transplant 16:1102-12
Krummey, Scott M; Martinez, Ryan J; Andargachew, Rakieb et al. (2016) Low-Affinity Memory CD8+ T Cells Mediate Robust Heterologous Immunity. J Immunol 196:2838-46

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