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

Share on Facebook

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

Share on Facebook

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

Share on Facebook

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

Share on Facebook

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

Share on Facebook

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

Share on Facebook

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Joslin Diabetes Center have discovered that high levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptors found in the blood of patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes may predict incidence of chronic kidney disease and kidney failure years later. TNF proteins can trigger inflammation, which has been linked to the development and progression of diabetic kidney disease, but the researchers don’t know if this is the reason why TNF receptors are increased in some patients. They hope to learn more about the connection, which could result in a diagnostic test and improved therapies for high-risk diabetes patients.

Source:

Proteins May Warn of Diabetic Kidney Disease Risk, Science News, February 11, 2012

Share on Facebook

Scientists from Singapore and China studying people of Han Chinese descent have identified genes and regions in the human genome that increase susceptibility to IgA nephropathy.  The researchers believe the genes could also play a role in the development of clinical symptoms and their severity. Lead scientist, Dr. Yu Xueqing said, “These findings offer us opportunities to identify important biological pathways involved in IgAN development and further explore novel approaches to intervene and thus prevent affected patients from developing severe kidney damage.”

IgA nephropathy occurs when immunoglobin A, an antibody that helps fight infections, builds up inside the blood vessels of the kidney, causing inflammation. The disease affects people differently. Some experience occasional blood in the urine, while others suffer decreased kidney function and often kidney failure. IgAN is a leading cause of kidney failure among Asian populations and usually affects males in their teens to late 30′s.

Source:

Scientists Unravel Kidney Disease Susceptibility Genes in Asian Genomic Study, Asian Scientist, January 4, 2012

Share on Facebook

Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio may have discovered an important medical use for hydrogen sulfide, the toxic, colorless gas that smells of rotten eggs. Their experiment focused on kidney cells exposed to high glucose levels. In diabetes patients, prolonged, uncontrolled blood glucose levels can lead to scarring of the kidneys. The UT researchers found that introducing hydrogen sulfide to the kidney cells resulted in decreased production of damaging proteins that cause kidney scarring. Interestingly, the human body produces small amounts of hydrogen sulfide naturally. The researchers reported that mice with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes produce fewer kidney enzymes known to aid in the production of hydrogen sulfide. Future research will be needed to determine whether the gas, which is poisonous in higher concentrations, can be used safely and effectively in animals and humans.

Source:

Hydrogen Sulfide Reduces Glucose-Induced Injury in Kidney Cells, Science Daily, January 3, 2012

Share on Facebook

Scientists studying the mechanisms behind cell adhesion have made some significant discoveries about the factors that influence podocyte survival. The kidney filter barrier is made up of podocyte cells with long foot-like projections that wrap around the capillaries of the glomerulus. The slits between these projections allow smaller molecules like salts, water and sugar to pass, while preventing larger molecules such as proteins from leaving the blood stream. Podocytes undergo significant physical stress as blood is pushed through the filter barrier. A receptor called integrin a3ß1 ensures that podocyte cells remain tightly bound to the glomerular basement membrane.

Researchers from the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam explored the link between a3ß1 and a protein called CD151, which is strongly expressed in podocytes.  They showed that CD151 and a3ß1 interact and that CD151 is involved in adhesion strengthening.  They studied mice lacking CD151 in podocytes and discovered that the mice developed glomerulosclerosis. They also suffered from kidney abnormalities, including unusually broad foot processes and irregular thickening of the glomerular basement membrane. They found that mice lacking global CD151 were not necessarily susceptible to renal disease unless they had a genetic predisposition. They reasoned that because the mice lacked CD151, their podocytes would be more loosely bound and unable to withstand increased mechanical stress. They proved the theory by increasing blood pressure and filtration pressure, which induced nephropathy in the mice.  Treating the mice with an ACE inhibitor drug reduced blood pressure as well as pressure within the glomerulus and prolonged their life span. The scientists determined that the reduction in glomerular pressure was key to preserving podocytes and slowing down glomerulosclerosis in the mice.

Source:

Blood Pressure Influences End Stage Renal Disease of CD151 Knockout Mice, Journal of Clinical Investigation, January 3, 2012

Share on Facebook