Transplant Immunology

Research Activity

The Transplant Immunology Laboratory headed by Prof. Emanuele Cozzi is an acknowledged center of excellence in the national and international transplantation landscape. It carries out translational research activities in the context of both pediatric and adult transplantation.
At this stage, it is well-known that, following transplantation, a kidney graft will not function indefinitely. Indeed, the estimated half-life of a pediatric transplant kidney is around 15-20 years only. This means that within barely 20 years following transplantation, half of the transplant recipients will lose their graft, return to dialysis and, where possible, will be listed for a second transplant. Clearly, the incapacity to ensure indefinite survival of the graft following transplantation represents a serious burden that inevitably aggravates the initial scarce availability of kidneys accessible for transplantation. Intense investigations have been conducted especially in the last two decades to clarify the reasons underlying the premature failure of transplanted kidneys. These studies have demonstrated that both immunological and non-immunological events underlie such an untimely organ failure. In this context, the studies conducted by the Transplant Immunology Laboratory in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team that includes pediatricians, pediatric nephrologists, pathologists and scientists are aimed at clarifying the role of a particular subtype of antibodies (the non-HLA antibodies) as a possible cause of premature failure of pediatric renal transplants.