This is a study to determine the safety, efficacy, and tolerability of taking away the anti-rejection medicine, tacrolimus, in liver transplant recipients in conjunction with everolimus monotherapy to preserve renal function. Two hundred - seventy (270) subjects will be randomized 2:1 into one of two groups between 2-3 months post-transplant. Seventy participants will be placed into an observational group and will remain on their current post-transplant medications. The duration of the study from time of enrollment is 18-20 months.

This study is a multicenter 2:1 randomized nonblinded phase II interventional clinical trial in liver transplant recipients. The primary objective is to determine the safety, efficacy, and tolerability of tacrolimus minimization and eventual withdrawal in conjunction with everolimus monotherapy to preserve renal function. Study subjects will undergo first reduction of tacrolimus with the addition of everolimus. If everolimus is tolerated, subjects will be randomized 2:1 into one of two interventional arms. The first interventional arm will undergo a stepwise reduction of tacrolimus and be on everolimus monotherapy for the remainder of the study. The second interventional arm will remain on the initial reduced tacrolimus dose and everolimus. If subjects prior to randomization are unable to tolerate everolimus, these subjects will be placed in the observational group. These subjects will stop taking everolimus and resume their immunosuppression therapy prior to study enrollment.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Subject and/or legal guardian must be able to understand and provide informed consent
2. Adult (age greater than or equal to 18 years of age at time of informed consent) recipient of first liver transplant alone (de novo)
3. Estimated glomerular filtration rate >=30 ml/min/1.73m^2 at enrollment using the CKD-EPI 2021 equation
4. Treatment with tacrolimus therapy, with or without mycophenolic acid derivatives and/or corticosteroids
5. Female subjects of childbearing potential with negative pregnancy test upon study entry
6. All subjects of reproductive potential agreeing to use contraception for the duration of the study
7. Previous vaccination or documented immunity to varicella, measles, hepatitis B, pneumococcus, influenza, zoster (if >=19 years old), and 2019-nCoV (COVID-19) as outlined in the DAIT Vaccination Guideline

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Inability or unwillingness of a participant to give written informed consent or comply with study protocol

2. Active unresolved systemic viral, bacterial, fungal, or parasitic infection requiring oral or intravenous anti-infective therapy

3. History of autoimmune liver disease including autoimmune hepatitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and/or primary biliary cirrhosis, or other contraindications to drug withdrawal

4. History of non-hepatic autoimmune disease requiring current or future systemic immunosuppressive therapy other than per study protocol

5. History post-transplant of Hepatic Artery Thrombosis or Portal Vein Thrombosis.

6. History of recurrent cirrhosis after liver transplantation.

7. Chronic use of systemic glucocorticoids, biological immunomodulatory therapy, or other immunosuppressive agents other than per study protocol

8. History of hepatitis B or C virus infection with detectable viral PCR at enrollment

9. History of prior organ transplantation (liver or other type)

10. History of >= 2 biopsy-proven acute cellular rejection episodes of any severity, >=1 moderate to severe rejection episode (histologically defined or requiring lymphodepletion therapy), or >= 1 antibody- mediated rejection episode

11. Active treatment with any mTOR-inhibitor agent (everolimus, sirolimus)

12. Contraindication to treatment with everolimus (open wound or wound infection; urine protein: creatinine ratio > 0.5; significant pancytopenia (any of the following: WBC <1.5 K/uL or ANC <1000 cells/uL or actively being treated with GCSF; Hb <8.0; platelet count <50K); serum triglycerides > 1000 mg/dL; other per PI)

13. Abnormal liver function tests on study entry: Total Bilirubin (TB)>1.5 mg/dL and Direct Bilirubin (DB) >1.0 mg/dL, Alkaline Phosphatase (AP) >200 U/L, and Alanine Aminotransaminase (ALT)>60 U/L

14. Pregnant on enrollment or plan to become pregnant during the study period

15. Participation in another clinical trial that would interfere with this study's procedures and intervention:

    1. Use of investigational biologic or drug (within 8 weeks of study enrollment)
    2. Additional blood collection that would exceed research blood draw limits
    3. Any other procedure or intervention, in the investigator's opinion would interfere with this study

16. Received live attenuated vaccine(s) within 2 months of enrollment

17. Current, diagnosed, mental illness or current, diagnosed, or self-reported drug or alcohol abuse that, in the opinion of the investigator, would interfere with the participant's ability to comply with study requirements or that may impact the quality or interpretation of the data obtained from the study

18. Past or current medical problems or findings from physical examination or laboratory testing that are not listed above, which, in the opinion of the investigator, may pose additional risks from participation in the study, may interfere with the participant's ability to comply with study requirements or that may impact the quality or interpretation of the data obtained from the study.

The plan is to share data upon completion of the study in: Immunology Database and Analysis Portal (ImmPort), a long-term archive of clinical and mechanistic data from DAIT-funded grants and contracts.

24 Months after database lock for the trial

Open Access