Transplant Center Research Update

The transplant center at Rhode Island Hospital is at the forefront of critical advances in transplantation. The center continues to be an active participant in national and international trials evaluating the efficacy of various drug regimes in improving outcomes, reducing rejection rates and enhancing quality of life. The center has also recently instituted protocols for reducing alloantibody levels in highly sensitized patients using intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG), plasmapheresis and anti-CD20 antibody (Rituximab). Currently, the division is involved in several ongoing trials and employs three full-time research associates.

Reginald Y. Gohh, MD has been involved in investigating the role of preemptive plasmapheresis in preventing recurrent FSGS in renal transplant recipients. In collaboration with Fatemah Akhlaghi, PharmD, PhD, of University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy, Gohh is also investigating the pharmacokinetics of mycophenolate mofetil in diabetic renal transplant recipients.

Paul Morrissey, MD is interested in outcomes after renal transplantation for organ donors and recipients. Coincident with Rhode Island Hospital's experience in altruistic kidney donation and a large experience in utilizing kidneys from donors after cardiac death (DCD), he has written and lectured about safely expanding organ donation and transplantation. Other interests include delayed allograft function and effort to limit ischemia-reperfusion injury after transplantation.

Clinical Trials

We are currently involved in a number of research studies that patients are eligible to enter. The majority of these studies involve the use of new or novel immunosuppressive regimens that may either enhance transplant survival or offer a more beneficial side-effect profile.

Ongoing Projects:  

• Kidney Donor Outcomes Cohort (KDOC) funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIDDK). This is a longitudinal study examining medical, surgical, functional, psychological and cost outcomes associated with living kidney donation across six centers in Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, Florida, Iowa and Arizona.
• The level of ATP production in mitogen-stimulated CD4+ lymphocytes Is independent of the time of Ingestion of immunosuppressive agents
• Pregnancy after renal transplantation: a review of  registry and single-center practices and outcomes
• The Concentration of Cyclosporine Metabolites is Significantly Lower in Kidney Transplant Recipients with Diabetes Mellitus

Some topics we are currently studying include determining the level of exercise tolerance in transplant recipients and methods to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.