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Plant Extract as Treatment to Stop Lupus and Block Kidney Damage

University of Houston researchers have found that the experimental compound CDDO (also known as bardoxolone methyl) suppresses the progression of lupus in mice, including the immune system’s attack on the kidneys. Though CDDO is synthetic, it’s derived from oleanolic acid, a natural product found in many plants and foods including olive oil, garlic, and cloves. … Continue reading Plant Extract as Treatment to Stop Lupus and Block Kidney Damage

Blood Test Predicts Tissue Injury in Kidney Transplant Patients with FSGS

An international research team from UC San Francisco, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and Necker Hospital in Paris has devised a blood test to identify FSGS patients at risk of repeat kidney injury following transplantation. In developing the blood panel, nicknamed FAST (FSGS Antibody Screen For Transplant), they also uncovered a potential drug target … Continue reading Blood Test Predicts Tissue Injury in Kidney Transplant Patients with FSGS

Milestone Reached in Work to Build Replacement Kidneys in the Lab

Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center are advancing the field of regenerative medicine with a new method to keep blood vessels open and viable in lab-built kidneys. Experimenting with scaffolds created from pig kidneys, the scientists coated the scaffold vessels with endothelial cells, using an antibody to facilitate cell adhesion. The treated vessels supported … Continue reading Milestone Reached in Work to Build Replacement Kidneys in the Lab

USC Researchers Honored For Work on Hypertension and Novel Imaging of Podocytes

We are happy to announce that USC researchers and members of UKRO’s Medical Scientific Advisory Board, Alicia McDonough, Ph.D. and Janos Peti-Peterdi, M.D., Ph.D. were recently honored for their exciting investigative work. Earlier this month, Dr. McDonough delivered the Seldin Award Lecture on “Intrarenal Mechanisms Controlling Potassium and Blood Pressure Homeostasis.” The Seldin Award Lecture … Continue reading USC Researchers Honored For Work on Hypertension and Novel Imaging of Podocytes

Top News on Uric Acid and Gout

Gout was once thought of as a disease only for kings or the wealthy, brought on by overindulgence in rich foods, read meat, and alcohol, but today this painful condition is more prevalent in the general population than you might think. A form of arthritis, gout occurs when uric acid builds up in the blood, … Continue reading Top News on Uric Acid and Gout

Mutations in Gene Essential for Cell Regulation Cause Kidney Cancer in Kids

Scientists from The Institute of Cancer Research in London have discovered that mutations in the CTR9 gene are responsible for Wilms tumor in some children with an inherited form of the kidney cancer. CTR9 is a component of the PAF1 protein complex, which plays a part in telling genes to shut on or off.  The … Continue reading Mutations in Gene Essential for Cell Regulation Cause Kidney Cancer in Kids