Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded a $194,397 Project Grant to The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York (Health Sciences Division) on July 3, 2026, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855). The award supports an early-career clinical-translational research initiative led by Dr. Yael Nobel, a board-certified transplant hepatologist, to develop predictive models and optimized immunosuppression strategies for liver transplant recipients. The research leverages gut microbiome composition, function, and microbial metabolites to identify patients at risk for acute cellular rejection (ACR) and to predict tacrolimus dose requirements, addressing significant clinical challenges associated with graft failure and drug toxicity.

The grant funds three primary research aims: (1) identifying microbiome-based predictors of ACR through metagenomic sequencing and machine learning modeling using an existing prospective cohort and banked stool specimens; (2) developing machine learning models to predict tacrolimus dose requirements at one month post-transplant using the same metagenomic and metabolomic data; and (3) prospectively enrolling 50 patients for validation studies. The research builds on preliminary findings demonstrating associations between ACR and tacrolimus levels with altered abundance of short-chain fatty acid-producing and bile acid-metabolizing bacterial taxa. The project is scheduled for completion by June 30, 2031, and includes both scientific research and training components designed to establish Dr. Nobel as an independent investigator in clinical-translational science.