A team of international researchers led by the Institute of Cancer Research in the UK have found two regions of the human genome linked to increased risk for the most common form of childhood kidney cancer, Wilms tumor. Scientists have suspected a genetic role in the rare disease because it can occur in siblings and twins. The ICR team analyzed DNA variants from Wilms tumor patients as well as healthy people in the UK and America. They noted that the two regions they identified have been linked to other diseases and cancers. Learning more about how these regions are involved in Wilms tumor should lead to better understanding of the disease and improved treatments in the future.

Source:

Scientists Find DNA Variants Linked to Childhood Cancer, The Institute of Cancer Research, April 29, 2012

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Scientists from Kidney Research UK have discovered a way to increase the success of kidney transplants from deceased donors by reviving the kidneys prior to transplantation using normothermic perfusion. Blood flow is reintroduced to the kidney via a special machine, effectively reversing the damage caused by storing the kidney on ice. The scientists believe kidneys treated with normothermic perfusion will perform sooner after transplantation, work better and last longer, with less likelihood of rejection.

This new treatment could increase the number of organs available from deceased donors. “Marginal” organs from donors with diabetes or hypertension or from donors who have suffered cardiac arrest are typically discarded, but this could change if the scientists are able to successfully revive such kidneys and assess their future performance prior to transplantation.

Source:

Revolutionary New Kidney Transplant Procedure, Medical News Today, March 8, 2012

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In an ongoing study, Northwestern Medicine and University of Louisville researchers have shown that it may be possible to eliminate the need for rejection drugs in kidney transplantation. The scientists paired living kidney donors with unrelated recipients with compatible blood type and a negative crossmatch. The kidney patients underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments to prepare their bodies to receive specially processed bone marrow stem cells from their donors. Ideally, the stem cells grow in the patient’s marrow, creating a second bone marrow system. Patients received these stem cells one day after kidney transplantation and were eventually weaned off anti-rejection drugs after one year. Early results of the study are promising. The researchers hope that patients who are currently experiencing success will be able to stay off immunosuppressant drugs long-term. They plan to conduct a second study using patients with existing kidney transplants from living donors.

Source:

New Transplant Method May Allow Kidney Recipients to Live Life Free of Anti-Rejection Medication, Science Daily, March 11, 2012

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A team of researchers from University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Xiamen University in China have shown that a combination of mesenchymal stem cell therapy and immune suppressing calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) produces better short-term transplant outcomes than standard anti-rejection drugs and CNIs. Patients who received a transplant from a living relative were treated with their own mesenchymal stem cells or MSCs, which act as natural immune cell suppressors. Six months after transplant, they experienced fewer acute rejections and better kidney function and had lower risk of infections. They also recovered faster from acute rejection. After one year, survival and rejection rates were comparable with patients who had received the standard induction therapy. Though the benefits of the stem cell therapy appear to have been short-lived, the researchers view the results as a step forward. Dr. Robert Provenzano, Chair of the Department of Nephrology, Hypertension, and Transplantation at St. John Providence Health System said, “I see this as the continued evolution of transplant medicine. It’s very exciting to be able to use your own natural cells instead of more toxic medications.”

Source:

Stem Cell Therapy Could Boost Kidney Transplant Success: Study, Health Day, March 20, 2012

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Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers studying the genetic material of mice with HIV and renal fibrosis have discovered that a regulator protein known as HIPK2 plays a part in scarring of the kidney. Using algorithms and special software developed at Mount Sinai, the scientists were able to pinpoint HIPK2. Their studies showed that upregulation of HIPK2 led to disease, while eliminating HIPK2 alleviated fibrosis and improved kidney function in the mice. They plan to continue to explore HIPK2 as a novel therapeutic target for kidney disease.

Source:

Promising New Drug Target for Kidney Disease, Science Daily, March 12, 2012

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Valen Cover Keefer & Glee's Brad Ellis

We’re so proud of our spokesperson, Valen Cover Keefer, who has been all over California, sporting blue and green in honor of Donate Life month, sharing her story and spreading the word about organ donation. As one of Donate Life’s “12 Inspiring Women of the 20 million in 2012″ campaign, Valen participated in a celebrity photo shoot in Beverly Hills, organized by Ann Lopez, who donated a kidney to her former husband, comedian George Lopez, in 2005.

Valen’s adventures have taken her from news and radio interviews in Sacramento to a special celebration in Truckee, California, which leads the state in organ donation sign-ups at the DMV.

To see more photos, visit our Facebook page and view Valen’s Donate Life album.

Ann Lopez, Valen & just some of Donate Life's 12 inspiring women of the "20 million in 2012" campaign

Valen's TV interview in Sacramento

Valen and the Donate Life team in Truckee

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Scientists at the Saban Research Institute at The Children’s Hospital Los Angeles have shown that stem cells from amniotic fluid can slow kidney disease progression in mice with Alport syndrome. Treating the mice with stem cells prior to the onset of proteinuria improved survival rates, delayed the progression of kidney scarring and lessened the decline in kidney function. Although the treatment did not result in new podocyte-like cells due to stem cell differentiation, normal podocyte numbers were preserved. The researchers think the protective benefits of stem cells may be due to inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system. They believe amniotic stem cells could be beneficial in treating other fibrotic kidney diseases, but they don’t know whether they could help with chronic kidney disease.

Source:

Injection of Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells Delays Progression of Renal Fibrosis, Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, February 2, 2012

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It’s important for people suffering from kidney disease to know they’re not alone. Here’s a list of today’s celebrities who have suffered from kidney disease.

Sarah Hyland, actress, suffered from kidney dysplasia, recently received a kidney from her father

Peter Burns, singer for the band, Dead or Alive, acute kidney failure caused by several kidney stones

Nick Cannon, singer, actor, suffers from lupus nephritis

Grizzwald Chapman, actor in 30 Rock, kidney failure due to hypertension, transplant recipient

Natalie Cole, singer, kidney failure after treatment for hepatitis C, transplant recipient

Lucy Davis, actress in The Office, kidney failure due to diabetes, transplant recipient

Aron Eisenberg, actor in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, born with one partially functioning kidney, transplant recipient

Sean Elliott, basketball player, suffered from FSGS, transplant recipient

Jennifer Harman, professional poker player, hereditary kidney disease, two-time transplant recipient

Ed Hearn, baseball player, suffered from FSGS, three-time transplant recipient

Ken Howard, actor in 30 Rock, kidney failure caused by a misdiagnosed blockage, transplant recipient

Jonah Lomu, New Zealand rugby player, kidney failure due to nephrotic syndrome, transplant recipient, now in need of a new transplant

George Lopez, comedian, hereditary kidney disease, transplant recipient

Tracy Morgan, actor in 30 Rock, kidney failure due to diabetes, transplant recipient

Alonzo Mourning, basketball player, suffered from FSGS, transplant recipient

Neil Simon, playwright, suffered from PKD, transplant recipient

Dayna Stephens, jazz musician, diagnosed with FSGS, in need of kidney transplant

If you like our post, please consider supporting UKRO with a tax-deductible donation. Every amount helps. Just click the Donate Now button at the upper right of this page.

Let’s wipe out kidney disease together!

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We are excited to announce that Dr. Janos Peti-Peterdi is receiving recognition from leading scientific societies and the renal research community for his UKRO-funded work on urinary succinate and the metabolic receptor GPR91. He will be an invited speaker this November at the American Society of Nephrology meeting in San Diego, giving a symposium talk on his translational studies of urinary succinate/GPR91 and the role they play in renovascular hypertension. We are thrilled that he will be acknowledging UKRO’s support in front of such a large and prestigious audience.

Dr. Peti-Peterdi’s colleagues on this project have great news to share as well. Nikhil Kamat has been awarded an American Society of Nephrology Student Scholar Fellowship. Anne Riquier-Brison, a postdoctoral fellow and recipient of UKRO’s 2010 John McKay Fellowship in Renal Research, has submitted an abstract to the Experimental Biology Meeting in San Diego. Her work was selected for an oral presentation in a symposium sponsored by the American Physiological Society Renal Section. Anne will be giving her talk on April 23, 2012, and was also asked to be chair of her session. In praising his fellow researchers, Peti-Peterdi said, “These are wonderful achievements for Anne and Nikhil, and in recognition of our work. We are very proud to be sponsored by UKRO on this exciting project!”

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From April 2 to April 7, 2012, fabulous celebrity consignment shop, the AdDress Boutique, is hosting a silent auction of gorgeous hats from Natalie Cole’s collection. Drop by the store at 1116 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, and place your bid for one or all of these hats, just perfect for the spring season. All proceeds go to UKRO. Special thanks to Maureen Clavin, owner of AdDress Boutique, and Natalie Cole for this fun pop-up UKRO fundraiser!

You can check out AdDress Boutique online at their website and Facebook page.

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