University of California San Francisco recently received a $2,370,047 grant from the National Institutes of Health(NIH). This is the fourth year that funding has been allocated for a $17 million multi-center study to improve long-term survival of kidney transplant recipients.
The goal is to reduce or eliminate inflammation in kidney transplant patients and prevent decline in function. The study involves two clinical trials and simultaneous research by biologists and researchers.
(Image of UCSF courtesy of wikimedia)
Under the leadership of Dr. Flavio Vincenti, professor of medicine and kidney and pancreatic transplant specialist at the Medical Center, the university has received more than $7 million over the previous three years to conduct research and hold clinical trials.
Advances in transplants over the years have resulted in a reduction of early acute rejection rates to less than 15 percent and improved one-year graft survival to more than 90 percent. However, long-term transplant success rates remain at four percent loss annually, according to the initial funding announcement made in 2014 .
“This grant allows us to work toward achieving two important advances in the transplant field,” said Dr. Vicenti in an article for UCSF News. “We can introduce personalized medicine by treating patients based on molecular profiling of their kidney.We also can allow control of the response to the transplant by the patients’ own immune systems by regulatory T cells, either through infusions or pharmacologically.””
Researchers are focused on regulatory T cells (Tregs), which suppress the activity of other immune cells. These cells maintain normal immune system homeostatis and safeguard against autoimmune diseases. According to Dr. Vicenti, the goal is to improve the long-term health of kidney transplant patients by regulating T cells either through infusions or pharmaceuticals.
UCSF is serving as the lead institution for this multi-million-dollar research project. Other participating institutions are the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Emory University and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Vicenti and members of the Kidney Transplant Program, which serves as a major center for the Western United States, evaluate more than 1,000 patients a year and perform more than 325 transplants annually. It is ranked fifth in the nation for Nephrology by U.S. News and World Report.
Last year, UCSF’s Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy received $593,909,890 from the NIH. It ranked first among their peers nationwide in NIH funding for their biomedical research and graduate-level training. In addition, the university was the second-highest grant recipient among private and public institutions nationwide.
“The University’s ongoing national leadership in NIH funding illustrates the incredible caliber of our research community,” Vice Chancellor for Research Dr. Lindsey Criswell stated in the same UCSF article. “This success in obtaining public research funding reflects our shared passion for UCSF’s mission as a public institution to uncover the fundamental mechanisms underlying human biology and disease while working to transform health worldwide.”
UCSF Researchers Meet with Laboratory Equipment Suppliers at Bioresearch Product Faires:|
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On Thursday, June 7th, Biotechnology Calendar Inc. will host the Bioresearch Product Faire at the Parnassus Campus. Laboratory equipment suppliers wishing to improve their lab product sales can display their products and meet face to face with the well funded researchers of UCSF at this event.
To learn more about participating in this event, or our bioresearch product faire at Berkeley on Wednesday, June 6th, call (530) 272-6675 or visit the following link:
Researchers in San Francisco interested in discovering the best and newest laboratory supplies are invited to attend these events for free. Save time at the door by pre-registering: