Awardees

Supervisor: Dr. Peter Nickerson
Award: KRESCENT Fellowship
Institution: University of Manitoba
Year: 2012-2014

Dr. Chris Wiebe will complete his post-doctoral fellowship under the supervision of Dr. Peter Nickerson at the University of Manitoba, where he will study the correlation of immune targets with the development of new donor antibodies following kidney transplant. During his post-doctoral fellowship Dr. Wiebe will pursue his master’s at the University of Manitoba, where he also received his M.D.

A kidney transplant is currently the best option for patients who develop kidney failure. Unfortunately for many patients the long-term success of kidney transplantation is shortened because the recipient’s immune system attacks the donor’s kidney. In recent years scientists have discovered that one of the most important predictors of a failed kidney transplant is the development of antibodies, proteins produced by the body's immune system when it detects harmful substances or mistakenly recognizes healthy tissue as a harmful substance.

Dr. Wiebe’s project focuses on discovering the specific targets that are most likely to initiate an immune attack against a donor’s kidney by comparing the targets of transplant patients who developed antibodies with those who did not. Findings may allow doctors to avoid these targets, resulting in a better and longer-lasting kidney transplant, and a greater understanding of the most important targets could help medical professionals decide which patients are likely to benefit from a reduction of their immune suppressing medications.