Leonardo V Riella MD PhD

Kidney & Pancreas Transplantation

Harold and Ellen Danser Endowed Chair in Transplantation at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

55 Fruit St.White-5-546CBoston, MA 02114
Phone+1 617-726-5277

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Summary

Leonardo V. Riella, M.D. Ph.D. is the Harold and Ellen Danser Endowed Chair in Transplant Surgery at Harvard Medical School and the Medical Director of Kidney Transplantation at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Riella’s research is focused on understanding the mechanisms of immune regulation and on developing novel therapies to promote immune tolerance. In addressing kidney disease recurrence post-transplantation, I founded and lead the TANGO Consortium, the largest global effort dedicated to studying glomerular disease recurrence (www.tangoxstudy.com). His lab is also tackling the organ transplant shortage head-on by pioneering two extraordinary paths: bioengineering kidneys from human stem cells and turning to gene-modified pigs as potential kidney donors. These innovative approaches could drastically increase the availability of organs and transform the transplant landscape

Education & Training

Mass General Brigham/Brigham and Women's Hospital/Massachusetts General HospitalFellowship, Nephrology, 2007 - 2011
Mass General Brigham/Brigham and Women's HospitalResidency, Internal Medicine, 2004 - 2007
Federal University of Parana Faculty of MedicineClass of 2003

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Certifications & Licensure

RI State Medical License 2021 - 2028
MA State Medical License 2007 - 2027
NH State Medical License 2021 - 2027
American Board of Internal Medicine Internal Medicine
American Board of Internal Medicine Nephrology

Awards, Honors, & Recognition

BWH/MGH Teaching Faculty Award Brigham and Women's Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital, 2020
Bright Futures Prize Brigham and Women's Hospital, 2019
Department of Medicine Chair Research Award Brigham and Women's Hospital, 2019

Clinical Trials

Efficacy and Safety of Eculizumab for Treatment of Antibody-mediated Rejection Following Renal Transplantation
TERMINATED
PHASE2
Belatacept Conversion in Proteinuric Kidney Transplant Recipients
COMPLETED
PHASE2
Conversion to Sirolimus: Effects in Cytomegalovirus Infection Recurrence
UNKNOWN
PHASE4

Publications & Presentations

PubMed

Anti-CD38/Anti-CD20 Rescue Therapy for Posttransplant Recurrent FSGS.
Juliette Leon, Elise Ducrocq, Marie-Camille Lafargue, Dominique Bertrand, Lucie Maigret
Kidney International Reports. 2026-09-01
Circulating IgM Does Not Target Common Chemical Adducts in Recurrent FSGS.
Tim Lempfer, Moritz Riesner, Andrea Angeletti, Frank Hullekes, Leonardo V Riella
Kidney International Reports. 2026-09-01
Anti-PLA2R antibody levels are associated with thromboembolism risk in individuals with membranous nephropathy and hypoalbuminemia.
Ayman Al Jurdi, Christopher El Mouhayyar, Karim Yatim, Orhan Efe, Saif A Muhsin
Journal of Nephrology. 2026-08-14

Journal Articles

Chronic Rejection of Human Face Allografts
Leonardo V Riella, Bohdan Pomahac, George F Murphy, Christine G Lian, Luccie Wo, American Journal of Transplantation

Authored Content

Kidney Transplant iBookJune 2019

Press Mentions

Mass General Brigham’s Celebration of Science Event Highlights Research Achievements in Uncertain TimesApril 13th, 2026
The First ‘Across the Bridge’: Man Who Received Experimental Pig Kidney Transplant Now Has a Human OrganJanuary 17th, 2026
Man Gets Human Kidney After Record-Breaking Pig Kidney PerformanceJanuary 17th, 2026

Grant Support

Significance of non-HLA antibodies in acute and chronic rejection of vascularized composite allograftsDepartment of Defense2019–Present
Role of Siglec-E in Regulating AlloimmunityMASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL2019–2025
Novel Role of Siglec-E Inhibitory Receptor in AlloimmunityNIH2019–2024
Targeting Innate Immune Regulators to Reduce Rejection in Vascularized Composite Tissue TransplantsDepartment of Defense2020–2023
Biomarkers in VCA transplantationDepartment of DefensePresent

Committees

Co-Chair, American Society of Transplantation Fellows Symposium 2016 - Present
Co-Director of the AST Fellows Symposium, American Society of Transplantation 2016 - Present