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New Urinary Biomarker to Predict Kidney Disease Progression

An international research team led by scientists from University of Michigan has identified a urinary biomarker that could help predict which CKD patients are at risk of kidney disease progression and kidney failure. The team pinpointed the protein, epidermal growth factor (EGF), while studying kidney tissue biopsies from chronic kidney disease patients in the United … Continue reading New Urinary Biomarker to Predict Kidney Disease Progression

Biomarker suPAR Predicts Chronic Kidney Disease

A potential new kidney disease biomarker, suPAR, is causing a big stir in the research community. Previous studies have identified the blood protein as a potential cause of Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis, or FSGS. Now a multi-institutional study involving scientists from Rush University, Emory University, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, NYU Langone Medical Center, … Continue reading Biomarker suPAR Predicts Chronic Kidney Disease

Reducing Calories Helps Mice with PKD

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered that reducing calories in mice with PKD can prevent, improve, and reverse the disease. They saw a decrease in kidney inflammation, cell injury, and fibrosis. Restricting calories by 40% produced the most dramatic results, “almost completely” preventing and reversing CKD, but even a 10% reduction improved the disease. The researchers … Continue reading Reducing Calories Helps Mice with PKD

Protective Protein Works with Statins to Prevent AKI

Researchers from Keio University in Japan have discovered how statins and the protein KL4, found in endothelial cells lining the blood vessels of the kidney, can help prevent acute kidney injury. Experiments in mice showed that endothelial KL4 (Kruppel-like factor 4) protects kidneys by suppressing inflammation and represents a promising therapeutic target for AKI. Mice … Continue reading Protective Protein Works with Statins to Prevent AKI

New Kidney Disease Biomarkers Discovered

In two separate studies, researchers have discovered new blood biomarkers that may lead to better, earlier diagnosis of kidney disease and swifter interventions to protect kidney function and avoid complications. Scientists from Germany reviewed concentrations of 500 metabolites in the blood of several thousand people, finally identifying six metabolites related to kidney function. They found … Continue reading New Kidney Disease Biomarkers Discovered

Mini Kidneys Grown In Lab Mimic Disease

Using stem cell and gene-editing techniques, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital have succeeded in growing mini kidneys that mimic disease. These tiny, impressive organoids, just 1 mm in diameter, are capable of modeling healthy as well as diseased kidneys and contain kidney tubules resembling those in people. They can also survive after transplantation in … Continue reading Mini Kidneys Grown In Lab Mimic Disease