# Investigating a Novel Cellular Therapy to Prevent and Treat Acute Antibody Mediated Kidney Transplant Rejection

> **NIH NIH R01** · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $534,418

## Abstract

Project Summary
Transplant specific antibodies (alloantibodies) are known to mediate acute antibody-mediated rejection (AMR)
after kidney transplant and also negatively impact long-term kidney allograft survival. Our group discovered a
novel regulatory CD8+ T cell subset which suppresses alloantibody production posttransplant. We refer to
these antibody suppressor CD8+ T cells as CD8+ TAb-supp cells and have developed a strategy to enhance their
in vivo development, distinguish their phenotype from other alloprimed CD8+ T cells and assess their in vitro
and in vivo function. In Aim 1 we will perform pre-clinical studies to investigate the efficacy of CD8+ TAb-supp
cells to prevent the development of de novo post-transplant alloantibody and AMR after kidney transplant using
a murine model of kidney transplant which reproduces the histopathology of AMR observed in human kidney
transplant recipients. In Aim 2 we will perform pre-clinical studies to investigate the efficacy of adoptive cellular
therapy with CD8+ TAb-supp cells to treat AMR and prolong kidney transplant function and survival. Our research
team assembles investigators with expertise in clinical transplantation, transplant immunology, microsurgery
and kidney histopathology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9960424
- **Project number:** 5R01AI139913-02
- **Recipient organization:** OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** GINNY L BUMGARDNER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $534,418
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9960424

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9960424, Investigating a Novel Cellular Therapy to Prevent and Treat Acute Antibody Mediated Kidney Transplant Rejection (5R01AI139913-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9960424. Licensed CC0.

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