# Core B

> **NIH NIH P01** · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · 2021 · $176,467

## Abstract

CORE B - SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Core B will provide antibody-coated nanoparticles (NPs) and FRCs for in vivo administration to reprogram the
LN microenvironment towards a regulatory milieu that promotes transplant tolerance. These strategies
represent cutting-edge approaches which have been set forth only by the teams here, and hence they
represent a radical departure from the traditional approaches to induce tolerance. These techniques provided
by Core B lay the groundwork for developing first class of therapeutics aimed towards reprogramming the
microenvironment of the LN. In addition to the applications of these data to transplantation, they can also have
a major impact in other immune conditions in which the LN plays a central role in the pathogenesis (e.g.,
autoimmune diseases and tumor immunity). This Core will fully characterize and synthesize large quantities of
MECA-79-conjugated carriers of anti-laminin α5 (LAMA5) and anti-CD40L mAbs (Project 2 - Bromberg), as
well as senolytic agents (SAs) (Project 1- Abdi). Core B will also synthesize dye-incorporating NPs (including
infrared dye) to verify trafficking to LNs as well as to control the quality of the batches. This will be the first
platform that targets LNs for drug delivery to reprogram their microenvironment towards immune tolerance. In
addition, Core B will expand FRCs isolated from the LNs of healthy mice and will be fully characterized for
FRC-specific markers. These cells will be provided to Project 1 for experiments that assess their impact on
downregulating LN fibrosis and its deleterious effects on transplant tolerance.
The specific aims of Core B are as follows:
Aim 1. To characterize and provide antibody-conjugated NPs for targeted delivery of immune
therapeutics to the LN to promote transplant tolerance.
Aim 2. To characterize and provide healthy FRCs for in vivo administration to promote transplant
tolerance by reprogramming the LN microenvironment.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10224023
- **Project number:** 5P01AI153003-02
- **Recipient organization:** BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Reza Abdi
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $176,467
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-07-27 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10224023

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10224023, Core B (5P01AI153003-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10224023. Licensed CC0.

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