# 8/14 APOL1 Long-term Kidney Transplantation Outcomes Network (APOLLO) Clinical Center

> **NIH NIH U01** · EMORY UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $277,552

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Data demonstrate that transplanted kidneys from African American (AA) deceased donors are associated with
reduced survival relative to kidneys from non-AA donors. Additional data demonstrate that the presence of two
APOL1 risk variants, that are found exclusively in AA individuals, have been associated with an increased risk
of CKD/ESRD in the general AA population. Two risk variants of this gene have a prevalence of 13% in AAs and
may account for some or all of the increased risk of transplant loss. There are also anecdotal reports of AA living
kidney donors with two APOL1 risk variants developing ESRD raising further concerns. In the first phase of the
APOLLO study recipients of kidneys from deceased or living AA kidney donors were enrolled in a multi-center
observational study to definitively address the impact of APOL1 variants on kidney transplant outcomes and
donor health. The Emory APOLLO Clinical Consortium (CC8) is comprised of 5 transplant programs located in
Georgia and Texas. Based on geography and referral patterns these programs consistently provide transplant
care to a large population of AAs. As an example, the most recent Program Specific Report released by the
SRTR demonstrated that in 2021 65.2% of the individuals waitlisted at the Emory Transplant Center were AAs
(versus 31.8% nationally) and 65.6% of the transplants performed were in AA recipients (versus 33.7%
nationally). In phase I of the APOLLO study CC8 enrolled 212 recipients of kidneys from AA donors representing
8.6% of the total enrollment of the 13 clinical centers and 4 core programs that comprise the APOLLO study.
We have collected and submitted DNA samples for APOL1 genotyping from 100% of these recipients and have
collected initial of blood and urine study specimens from 98.4% and 96.9% of these recipients respectively. We
have also collected study-specified clinical and demographic data from 97% of these recipients. In the proposed
second phase of the APOLLO study, we will extend the follow up of enrolled subjects through the 4th year of the
award. This will require all subjects to be reconsented allowing us to collect new biosamples of blood and urine
as well as the collection of clinical data and measurements of renal function and proteinuria. We will also provide
the results of any transplant kidney biopsies performed on enrolled recipients and unstained biopsy slides for
future studies. We are confident that our continued contributions to the APOLLO consortium will contribute to
the study's ultimate aim of defining the role of APOL1 risk variants in the long-term outcomes of kidney
transplantation and living kidney donation.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10917278
- **Project number:** 5U01DK116099-07
- **Recipient organization:** EMORY UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** KENNETH A. NEWELL
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $277,552
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-25 → 2028-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10917278

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10917278, 8/14 APOL1 Long-term Kidney Transplantation Outcomes Network (APOLLO) Clinical Center (5U01DK116099-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10917278. Licensed CC0.

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