UKRO – University Kidney Research Organization
Together We Build a Kidney
On July 1, 2011, Ronald S. Taubman, Board Member and Chair of UKRO’s Development Committee was appointed to a two-year term on the OPTN/UNOS Kidney Committee. Ron has been involved in local, state, and national organ and tissue donation and transplant issues for the last 10 years. He previously served as the Region 5 Representative … Continue reading UKRO’s Ron Taubman Appointed to OPTN/UNOS Kidney Committee
Recent stories about older living kidney donors, including some with medical issues, are truly inspiring and encouraging given the organ shortage. In an interesting article, Stephen Textor, M.D., Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic, describes his experience with donors with moderate essential hypertension, who would normally be excluded from donating. – Medical Abnormalities Need Not … Continue reading Older Living Kidney Donors in the News
Dopamine, an important neurotransmitter that helps to control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers, is often studied in connection with neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease. Now researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have discovered that dopamine produced within the kidneys, rather than the brain, is critical to maintaining normal blood pressure and salt and water … Continue reading Dopamine Produced in Kidneys Critical to Maintaining Normal Blood Pressure
Last week was an exciting one for diabetes news. In addition to our recent post about a new drug that can improve kidney function in Type 2 diabetics, there have been many other interesting discoveries. Newcastle University researchers in England have found that a very extreme diet can reverse Type 2 diabetes in newly diagnosed … Continue reading Top News on Diabetes Research for the Week of 6/20/11
Results of a year-long drug trial conducted by researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center show that the experimental drug bardoxolone methyl improves estimated glomerular filtration rates in Type 2 diabetic patients with moderate to severe CKD. Lab tests for those patients revealed decreased blood urea nitrogen, serum phosphorus, uric acid, and magnesium. The new phase … Continue reading Bardoxolone Methyl Improves Kidney Function in Type 2 Diabetics
Researchers from UC San Diego, the National Institutes of Health, and the Mayo Clinic have shown that an experimental drug called pirfenidone can stop damage and improve kidney function in diabetic patients. Study participants treated with a small amount of the drug for one year showed improved glomerular filtration rates. Pirfenidone, an anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic … Continue reading Pirfenidone Improves Kidney Function in Diabetic Patients