MASSACHUSETTES GENERAL HOSPITAL​

Efficacy of high dose booster vaccination in vaccine non-responsive immunosuppressed individuals

Grantee will test whether booster vaccination enhances the protection of immunocompromised individuals to COVID-19. Grantee and others showed that heart and lung transplant recipients, who are heavily immunosuppressed, respond poorly to standard SARS-CoV-2 vaccination regimens. Specifically, Grantee will test whether a third dose that consists of twice the amount of immune stimulus and/or a third dose in standard amounts leads to enhanced antibody and/or cellular immune responses in these individuals. Better protection would enable immunocompromised individuals to safely return to their pre-pandemic lives.

Principal Investigator: Marcia Goldberg, MD
Awarded: September 2021
Duration: 12 months
Amount of Award: $150,000

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA​

Molecular Characterization of Baseline Lung Allograft Dysfunction

Lung transplantation is essential for patients with end-stage lung disease, but in many cases the function of the transplant after recovering from surgery (“baseline”) is below the level required for that patient to experience normal breathing, quality of life and life expectancy. The reasons behind this impaired baseline function, and the pathology underlying it, are not known. Grantee hypothesizes that this dysfunction reflects tissue damage that can be measured molecularly, and that is Grantee can define and measure these changes Grantee can devise methods of preventing and treating this tissue damage.

Principal Investigator: Kieran Halloran, MD
Awarded: September 2021
Duration: 24 months
Awarded: $147,695

UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK

​Delineating the Biological Mechanisms of Grant Fibrosis in Liver Transplant Recipients

The lifespan of the transplanted liver is finite, with scarring (fibrosis) developing over time in the vast majority. Graft fibrosis accumulates more rapidly than in the native liver and the biological reasons are poorly understood. In this study, Grantee will examine liver samples after transplant, to understand the contribution of graft age, capacity to regenerate, and activity of cells that accelerate scarring. Grantee will use techniques to characterize cell types and signaling pathways that drive fibrosis. These findings will provide insight into therapeutics to prolong graft survival.

Principal Investigator: Mamatha Bhat, MD, MSc, PhD, FRCPC
Awarded: September 2021
Duration: 12 months
Awarded: $150,000