Transplant Institute Research

At the Forefront

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is renowned for its achievements in medical research, including breakthroughs in the area of transplant immunology (the body's ability to accept or reject foreign tissue). Grants from private foundations and government agencies support clinical and biomedical research. Among independent hospitals nationwide, BIDMC ranks third in National Institutes of Health funding.

The Transplant Institute

As leaders in the field of transplantation, the Transplant Institute is committed to teaching the next generation of clinicians and scientists, and deeply engaged in the scientific aspect of transplantation. The center is renowned for its dedication to extraordinary patient care and the pursuit of knowledge through bench and bedside research. Bench or basic research refers to breakthroughs in the laboratory. These discoveries can have a direct impact on patient care or pave the way for future findings, advancing the body of knowledge in transplant treatment worldwide. Many times investigators engaged in transplant science discover properties and mechanisms that apply to other areas of medicine, such as diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis. Always, our defining strength at Beth Israel Deaconess is our close collaboration among researchers and clinicians, which helps move the latest advances in the laboratory to the patient bedside more quickly.

Research activity at the Transplant Institute falls into four principal categories:

• Basic or (laboratory) bench science in the Transplant Research Center
• Clinical trials organized on a national level and open to Transplant Institute patients
• Behavioral health research describing research on organ transplantation and donation, and study protocols for Transplant Institute patients
• Other important research initiatives in the Transplant Institute and the BIDMC Liver Research Center, led by distinguished members of the transplant team.