Working to optimize anti-rejection therapy for kidneys

Congratulations to Dr. Julie Ho, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine & Immunology, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba and transplant physician at Transplant Manitoba, and her team on earning a $2.6 M Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) project grant. This funding will support a first-of-its-kind clinical trial.


Managing anti-rejection therapy for each individual kidney recipient is a real challenge in the transplant world. In the first year after transplant, 30% of kidney patients experience rejection – two thirds of which can go undetected. Accurate non-invasive tests are required so rejection can be treated early, and the treatment designed to be the best it can be for that patient.


Dr. Ho and her team have identified a new urine test to detect rejection and predict outcomes in kidney transplantation – meaning patients at high-risk of losing their transplants may be identified sooner. With the support of the CIHR grant, Dr. Ho’s will study the impact of using an early rejection marker on transplant outcomes. The goal is to have new urine tests that could be used to personalize medicine and improve patient and transplant health.

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