UPMC is an international leader in organ transplantation care and research. As a result, our patients benefit from having access to many of the most promising transplant techniques, medications, and therapies.
Our commitment to scientific discovery has enabled us to develop a robust research infrastructure and a comprehensive catalog of clinical trials.
Learn more about research at the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute (STI), as well as our recent publications, initiatives, and events.
Current areas of research focus include:
The goal of this collaborative program is to dissect the mechanisms of allograft rejection and acceptance in humans using patient blood and tissue samples. The program takes advantage of the large STI Sample Biorepository and samples collected through clinical research.
Human immunology investigators utilize leading-edge techniques in cellular immunology, flow cytometry, and single cell multiomics.
Since its inception in 2012, more than 14,000 abdominal organ transplant recipients and donors have been enrolled in the STI Sample Biorepository.
Recipients are asked to provide blood samples:
Urine may also be collected.
Living donors are asked for a single sample, which can be pre- or post-transplant. When possible, splenocytes are obtained from deceased donors.
Samples are prepared and stored at -80oC or in liquid nitrogen, as appropriate, and are made available to researchers for use in a range of studies.
The STI Clinical Data Warehouse (CDW) was created to offer a comprehensive platform for both clinical and basic science data. The CDW consolidates clinical and research data, giving researchers a complete view without needing to manage data from multiple sources.
The Clinical Data Warehouse also provides STI with the ability to abstract and store data that otherwise would be difficult to obtain using Natural Language Parsing (NLP). This enhances the data available from the electronic medical record (EMR) and provides the researchers with a central place to request and store their data.
Researchers at UPMC are collaborating with Vertex Pharmaceuticals to study whether an investigational islet cell infusion is safe and effective for replacing cells lost or not functioning properly in people with type I diabetes.
The procedure will involve human stem cell-derived pancreas islets called VX-880. These islets consist of cells that replace those lost due to type 1 diabetes.
After a kidney transplant, recipients take antirejection drugs (immunosuppressants) to prevent their body from rejecting the new kidney. Currently, it is not possible to have a successful transplant without these medications. Antirejection drugs must be taken daily, and like other medicines, they may cause side effects. Long-term use of these drugs can increase the risk of infections, cancer, or damage to the transplanted kidney. Even with these medications, rejection of the transplanted kidney can still occur. Researchers are exploring new ways to prevent rejection and potentially enable transplant recipients to take lower doses of anti-rejection drugs over time.
The DCREG renal study is a research study for people who will be receiving a kidney transplant for the first time and have a living donor. Researchers will collect white blood cells from the kidney donor through a procedure called leukapheresis. After they collect these white blood cells, they will select a certain type of white blood cell called monocytes. These monocytes will be used to make cells called donor-derived regulatory dendritic cells (donor DCregs). These donor DCregs will be given through an IV catheter to the recipient one week before transplant. This research study is testing the idea that the donor DCregs might help the body accept the new organ with a lower chance of transplant rejection.
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