Dr. Kapur's main areas of research include translational research and clinical trials on new immune protocols for kidney transplant patients, reduction in maintenance immunosuppression for kidney transplant recipients, investigational agents for the prevention or reduction in delayed graft function, islet cell research, and the development of molecular techniques to monitor and decrease rejection of transplanted organs. Dr. Kapur currently has over 1,000 patients who are maintained on a steroid-free maintenance immunosuppression protocol. As an extension of the steroid-free maintenance regimen, Dr. Kapur is the principal investigator of a research study to further reduce patients' exposure to immunosuppression, specifically tacrolimus, an agent with known toxic effects on the transplanted kidney.

Dr. Kapur worked with Dr. Manikkam Suthanthiran of NY-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell in the development of a non-invasive test utilizing molecular signatures to more accurately predict organ rejection before it happens. This unique test provides an opportunity for individualized treatment of kidney transplant patients. NYP/Weill Cornell researchers believe that these urine biomarkers may allow the transplant community to predict graft function, rather than having to rely on the traditional, invasive needle biopsy, which carries with it the potential to cause further complications. Under molecular guidance, the transplant team hopes to be able to fine tune medications for patients, minimizing their exposure to immunosuppression, which over a lifetime, can damage the transplanted organ. Based on these tests developed at NYP/Weill Cornell, a NIH-sponsored multi-center study to further test the sensitivity and specificity of measuring RNA (mRNA) for key immune cell regulators in renal transplant patients has been completed, and will hopefully provide transplant physicians with tools to provide a more complete appraisal of graft function and risk of organ rejection.

CLINICAL TRIALS
Controlled, Randomized, Prospective, Double-Blind, Multicenter, Phase I/II, Dose-Escalation Study of the Safety, PK, and Clinical Activity of I5NP for Prophylaxis of Delayed Graft Function in Patients Undergoing Deceased Donor Kidney Transplantation. Sponsored by Quark Pharmaceutical, Inc. Principal Investigator. October 2010 – present

Special Access for the Use of Voclosporin for Kidney Transplantation. Investigator-initiated clinical trial. Principal Investigator. 2009 – present