Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded a $836,711 Project Grant to The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York (Health Sciences Division) on May 1, 2026, for a five-year research initiative spanning through April 30, 2031. Under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), this award supports investigator-initiated biomedical research examining whether selective Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Class II matching between donor and recipient decreases rejection and promotes regulatory tolerance in intestinal transplantation (ITX).

The research deliverables include preclinical investigation and translational research utilizing a swine orthotopic ITX model to evaluate whether MHC Class II sharing extends rejection-free survival of intestinal grafts through minimization of rejection via expansion of regulatory T cells. The study builds upon preliminary findings demonstrating that partial MHC Class II allele sharing decreases rejection and promotes donor-specific hyporesponsiveness in graft tissue, with potential applications to advance ITX as a therapeutic option for patients with intestinal failure. The research outputs will generate scientific knowledge and methodological advances intended to improve transplantation outcomes and inform clinical protocols for donor-recipient matching in intestinal transplantation.