UKRO – University Kidney Research Organization
Together We Build a Kidney
In discovering the cause of a rare kidney disease, University of Michigan researchers have uncovered a new genetic mechanism behind renal fibrosis and chronic kidney disease. The scientists identified mutations of the damage repair gene FAN1 as a cause of karyomegalic interstitial nephritis or KIN. KIN causes kidney fibrosis or scarring, as well as nuclear changes … Continue reading Researchers Discover New Genetic Cause of CKD
A new study from Cleveland Clinic Bariatric and Metabolic Institute suggests that weight loss surgery may improve kidney damage in obese patients with Type 2 diabetes. The researchers followed 52 patients with an average age of 51 years who had lived with diabetes for an average of almost nine years; more than a third of … Continue reading Bariatric Surgery May Improve Kidney Damage in Type 2 Diabetics
Researchers from the University of Alberta have found that patients with chronic kidney disease face the same risk for a coronary event as previous heart attack sufferers. The study followed 1.3 million Canadians with risk factors for coronary events, including patients who had already had a heart attack, those with CKD, diabetes or a combination … Continue reading Chronic Kidney Disease Brings Heart Attack Risk
Japanese researchers have discovered that NT-proBNP, a biomarker used to detect heart failure, may also predict risk of progressive CKD as well as cardiac risk in patients with Type 2 diabetes. The study followed diabetic patients with stage 1 or stage 2 CKD for 5 years and found that those with a higher baseline of … Continue reading Cardiac Biomarker May Predict Risk of Progressive CKD in Type 2 Diabetics
Our spokesperson, Valen Keefer, continues to inspire the kidney disease and transplant community with her new blog for the PKD Foundation, PKD Will Not Beat Me. She’ll be sharing her story and fostering a positive space where people with PKD can come together to talk with each other, get information and lift each other’s spirits. … Continue reading Valen Keefer Launches Her New Blog: PKD Will Not Beat Me
Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine, working with a team of scientists in Paris, have identified two proteins, which are key to maintaining the stem cell pool and supporting growth during early kidney development. FGF9 and FGF20 are fibroblast growth factors, a family of proteins involved in embryonic development; the proliferation, migration and differentiation … Continue reading Clues to How Embryonic Kidney Maintains Stem Cell Pool