# Long Term Follow up of the Lung Transplant Outcomes Group Cohort

> **NIH NIH U01** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2020 · $1,320,463

## Abstract

Lung transplantation is a potentially life extending treatment for patients with end stage lung diseases;
however, lung transplant is a relatively new field, and long-term outcomes are disappointing with a median
survival of ~6 years.2 Furthermore, among those who survive, half suffer from impaired lung function - chronic
lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) – which causes distressing symptoms and disability.3 Yet, fundamental
knowledge gaps persist in the understanding of the clinical and biological processes that occur after lung
transplantation; advancing such knowledge is critical to improve long-term outcomes.
The Lung Transplant Outcomes Group (LTOG) is the first and largest multicentered epidemiologic study in
lung transplantation designed to address issues surrounding early post-transplant complications. LTOG began
as an 11-center prospective cohort study formed in 2007. Initially, LTOG focused on the clinical mechanisms
and biomarkers for the early post-transplant complication of primary graft dysfunction (PGD), a serious
condition that often leads to early graft failure and death. Over 3000 subjects have been enrolled in the LTOG
during the past ten years. In this application, we aim to extend follow up of the LTOG and capitalize on this rich
resource of clinical data, biosamples, and infrastructure to address fundamental but previously unanswerable
questions about the long term outcomes of lung transplantation. We will have two aims focused on major long-
term issues key to lung transplant patient outcomes: in Aim 1 we will perform long-term CLAD phenotyping of
all subjects enrolled in the LTOG until death or study end using current state-of-the-art definitions; and in Aim 2
we will determine the long term functional status of the recipient including targeted measures of frailty domains
and functioning, disability, and health-related quality of life.
Our proposal is significant in that it will create a unique resource capable of generating tremendous new
knowledge in a growing field, both directly as a result of data in hand and by facilitating new research on
NHLBI-relevant lung diseases. It is innovative in generation of a novel data source at a low cost by leveraging
a unique established cohort, and in efficient data practices. It is impactful in developing new knowledge that
may change transplant practices worldwide by merging long-term graft and patient phenotype data with a rich
early-transplant data and biosample resource, by defining new mechanisms of relevant lung transplant
syndromes, and by providing a platform for ancillary research applications for a generation of investigators.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9952409
- **Project number:** 5U01HL145435-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Jason D Christie
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,320,463
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-06-15 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9952409

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9952409, Long Term Follow up of the Lung Transplant Outcomes Group Cohort (5U01HL145435-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9952409. Licensed CC0.

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