Overview

The Transplant Immunology Program seeks a better understanding of the complex processes of chronic immune-mediated injury to advance new treatment approaches and create better outcomes.

By developing new therapies and redesigning clinical trials, our program is reducing antibody-related rejection and the need for second transplants because of organ failure.

Our transplant immunology team is changing care by:

• Improving long-term kidney transplant survival.
• Overcoming antibody rejection.
• Refining scientific understanding of kidney pathology.
• Improving compliance with treatment recommendations.
• Collaborating with a worldwide clinical research community.
• Restructuring clinical trials with partner connections.

While progress has been made in understanding chronic injury and graft survival, identifying the molecular mechanisms for transplant failure has proved difficult. To improve transplant outcomes, our investigators are studying how the immune system interacts with grafts. Research projects within our program focus on antibody barriers and long-term outcomes for transplant recipients.

Our overarching goal is to perform discovery research that expedites the development of new therapies for transplant recipients. It's essential to identify the molecular mechanisms affecting the progression of chronic injury to transplanted organs.

Leading the charge is Mark D. Stegall, M.D., director of the Transplant Immunology Program. Dr. Stegall, a transplant surgeon at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, has spent more than 20 years conducting translational research, from basic immunology to multicenter clinical trials.

Dr. Stegall and his team focus their research efforts on understanding the biology behind two major challenges facing transplantation: late renal allograft loss and antibodies against donor human leukocyte antigen. Both situations present barriers to the successful transplantation of kidneys, hearts and lungs.

Fully embracing the concept of team science, our program has forged a strong worldwide collaborative network that includes the scientific community, the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory agencies. Through transplant consortiums, we can enroll participants in clinical trials much faster. The Transplant Immunology Program is part of the Transplant Research Center, which allows us to leverage other vital resources and expertise.

By studying the important problems that need to be addressed and standardizing the methods used to study these problems, new transplant treatments can be developed and measured.