University awarded $3.9 million for pediatric lung transplant research
Stephanie Wong
Issue date: 3/26/08 Section: News
The Washington University School of Medicine was granted $3.9 million to study viral infections that often harm children after they have lung transplants. The research will focus on viruses that may interact with the immune system and lead to long-term complications.
"I hope that we can improve the outcomes of children who receive lung transplants so that every child who gets a lung transplant has an excellent chance of making it to adulthood. We can't say that today," said Dr. Stuart Sweet, the medical director of the pediatric lung transplant program at the University.
The five-year grant is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. The University submitted a proposal for the grant in response to an NIH request for applications.
The grant is intended to help the pediatric lung network improve lung transplant outcomes, which currently lag behind those of other organ transplants such as kidneys, hearts and livers.
"Unfortunately, we don't know for sure why," said Sweet. "In lung transplant the most important long-term complication is a slow deterioration of the small airways called bronchiolitis obliterans. If we can prevent or cure bronchiolitis obliterans, lung transplant outcomes will improve. We hope this research will contribute to that."
Adult patients also develop problems since immunosuppressant medications inhibit the development of immunity. Children, however, are impacted by infection more than adults are because they have had less exposure to viral infections.
Sweet became involved with researching transplants in children during his fellowship at the University, where some of the children who had undergone lung transplantation did not do well after surgery.
For many children with diseases such as cystic fibrosis, pulmonary vascular disease or birth defects, a lung transplant must be performed even though they risk complications including infection and organ rejection. Though most children survive the first year after the surgery, only half continue to live after five years.
"I hope that we can improve the outcomes of children who receive lung transplants so that every child who gets a lung transplant has an excellent chance of making it to adulthood. We can't say that today," said Dr. Stuart Sweet, the medical director of the pediatric lung transplant program at the University.
The five-year grant is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. The University submitted a proposal for the grant in response to an NIH request for applications.
The grant is intended to help the pediatric lung network improve lung transplant outcomes, which currently lag behind those of other organ transplants such as kidneys, hearts and livers.
"Unfortunately, we don't know for sure why," said Sweet. "In lung transplant the most important long-term complication is a slow deterioration of the small airways called bronchiolitis obliterans. If we can prevent or cure bronchiolitis obliterans, lung transplant outcomes will improve. We hope this research will contribute to that."
Adult patients also develop problems since immunosuppressant medications inhibit the development of immunity. Children, however, are impacted by infection more than adults are because they have had less exposure to viral infections.
Sweet became involved with researching transplants in children during his fellowship at the University, where some of the children who had undergone lung transplantation did not do well after surgery.
For many children with diseases such as cystic fibrosis, pulmonary vascular disease or birth defects, a lung transplant must be performed even though they risk complications including infection and organ rejection. Though most children survive the first year after the surgery, only half continue to live after five years.
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