Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) awarded Washington University a Project Grant totaling $116,625 under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847) on February 15, 2026, with a completion date of January 31, 2028. The award funds research investigating the novel application of fomepizole, an FDA-approved drug currently used to treat ethylene glycol poisoning, as a therapeutic intervention to mitigate hepatic ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) in liver transplantation. The research specifically focuses on understanding how fomepizole modulates lipid metabolites to provide protective effects against IRI, with particular emphasis on steatotic (fatty) donor livers, which are currently underutilized due to increased transplant complication risk.

The research deliverables will advance the understanding of pharmacological mechanisms that could expand the usable donor liver pool by reducing IRI complications in marginal donor organs. This work addresses a critical clinical need, as the demand for liver transplantation significantly exceeds available suitable donor organs, particularly as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease prevalence increases. By testing fomepizole as an adjunctive therapy alongside machine perfusion procurement protocols, the research may provide evidence supporting expanded use of marginal donor livers and improved patient outcomes in transplantation.