Donor-derived thymus organoids for personalized immunomodulation in kidney transplantation
- Logistique
- Virtuel
- Durée prévue de l’engagement
- 1-2 hours per month
- Date limite de candidature
- Type d’organe
- Kidney, Pancreas, Stemcell
- Type d’occasion
- Advisory Committee
- Thème
- T4 - Optimizing Immune Systems, T5 - Restoring Long-Term Health
After a kidney transplant, patients need to take strong medications—called immunosuppressants—to stop their body from rejecting the new organ. While these drugs are essential, they can cause serious side effects such as infections and cancer, and they need to be taken for life.
In this research, we are developing a new cell‑based therapy that could one day reduce or even replace the need for these drugs.
This research proposes collecting urine cells from kidney transplant recipients and use them to create special stem cells called donor‑derived induced pluripotent stem cells (ddiPSCs). These stem cells can be turned into almost any type of cell in the body and carry the same genetic information as the donor organ.
Our goal is to use the ddiPSCs to make a small organ called the thymus, which helps train the immune system to recognize the body’s own tissues as “safe.”
By providing a thymus made from donor cells, we hope the recipient’s immune system will learn to accept the donor organ naturally without relying so heavily on immunosuppressive drugs.
If successful, this approach could make kidney transplantation safer, reduce complications, and greatly improve the quality of life for transplant recipients. It would also help transplanted kidneys last longer without rejection, meaning "one transplant for life".
Expérience requise
Kidney transplant recipient or primary caregiver for kidney transplant recipient who considers immunosuppression to be a burdensome part of post-transplant care.
Rôles potentiels pour les partenaires PFD
Review the grant application and co-develop the PFD engagement section, with a focus on how PFD partners can be integrated lab science. PFDs can expect to:
- Give feedback on lay summaries.
- Identify concerns from a patient perspectives.
- Identify priorities for clinical translation.
- Identify roles for patient partners along the translational route
Approximate time commitment is 3-4 hours.
If the project is funded, the PFD partner will onboarded as a PFD partner for the project.
Remboursement
At this stage of grant development, there is no funding available for PFD remuneration. If funded, the PFD will support the project 10-15 per year at a rate of $50 per hour. This will be developed through a patient engagement plan if funded.