Immunopathology Research Laboratory

Overview

The Immunopathology Research Laboratory seeks to identify molecular and cellular mechanisms of allograft and xenograft rejection and tolerance, with the goal of guiding precision therapy. Our “bench-to-bedside” program spans a spectrum of studies from mice and non-human primates to human clinical studies.

Research Projects

A shortage of donor organs and long wait time on dialysis for patients with kidney failure (~5 years) has led investors to explore alternative sources for kidneys. Pig kidneys have become a leading possibility, with the advent of efficient genetic engineering with CASPR-Cas9. Initial trials in non-human primates have shown survival up to 758 days which has led to the first FDA approved clinical trials in humans. Our laboratory has focused on state-of-the-art pathology and spatial transcriptomics to elucidate events in the grafts, in collaboration with many other MGB and HMS laboratories. Our work is funded by NIH and industry partners.

Research Team

Robert B. Colvin, M.D.
Benjamin Castleman Distinguished Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School
Chief of Pathology, emeritus, MGH
Director of Immunopathology Research Laboratory, MGH

Ivy A. Rosales, M.D.
Principal Associate, Harvard Medical School
Director, Histopathology Core

Alessia Giarraputo, Ph.D.
Research Fellow
Bioinformatics lead

Claire Avillach, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Pathology, HMS

R. Neal Smith, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Pathology, HMS

Publications

1. Kawai T, Williams WW, Elias N, Fishman JA, Crisalli K, Longchamp A, Rosales IA, Duggan M, Kimura S, Morena L, Borges TJ, Tomosugi T, Karadagi A, Nakamura T, Safa K, Giarraputo A, Avillach CT, Patalas ED, Smith RN, Sachs DH, Cosimi AB, Madsen JC, Cooper DKC, Pierson R, Perrin S, Anand RP, Chhangawala S, Coscarella M, Daigneault A, Li F, Pearce O, Qin W, Serkin WT, Yeung V, Getchell K, Low SC, Curtis M, Colvin RB, Riella LV. Xenotransplantation of a Porcine Kidney for End-Stage Kidney Disease. NEJM. 392:1933-40, 2025. PMID: 39927618.
2. Giarraputo A, Metzger E, Brousaides N, Marcin J, Avillach C, Smith RN, Beechem JM, Rosales IA, Colvin RB. Single-cell spatial transcriptomics reveal intraglomerular cell activation and ligand-receptor relationships in chronic, active antibody mediated rejection, Kidney Int. 109:196-210, 2026.
3. Ribas GT, Cunha AF, Avila JP, Giarraputo A, Morena L, Lima K, Gassen RB, Chen JY, Lin JR, Santagata S, Avillach CT, Ryback BA, Lindner MS, Bercovici S, Rosales IA, Kawai T, Nakaya HI, Colvin RB, Borges TJ, Riella LV. Immune profiling in a living human recipient of a gene-edited pig kidney. Nature medicine. 2026;32:270-80. doi: 10.1038/s41591-025-04053-3. PMID: 41507576.
4. Rosales IA, Giarraputo A, Avillach C, Karadagi A, Laguerre C, Goto T, Marcin J, Brousaides N, Kawai T, Colvin RB. Mechanistic insights from transcript analysis of long-term pig to non-human primate kidney xenografts, Kidney Int. 26:506-526, 2026.