Cutting Phosphate Early in CKD Reduces Deaths, Heart Problems


Cutting out dietary phosphorus and phosphate additives is crucial for dialysis patients, but now researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have found that stringent phosphate restriction could reduce the risk of heart problems and death for patients with early chronic kidney disease. Their study in rats showed that severe phosphate restriction reversed vascular calcification … Continue reading Cutting Phosphate Early in CKD Reduces Deaths, Heart Problems

Abatacept May Help Prevent Kidney Disease Caused by Diabetes


A team of researchers led by Paolo Fiorina, M.D., Ph.D. of Boston Children’s Hospital – Harvard Medical School has found that abatacept may help prevent kidney disease caused by diabetes. The autoimmune drug, which works by targeting a receptor called B7-1, is prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis and is also being used in clinical trials for … Continue reading Abatacept May Help Prevent Kidney Disease Caused by Diabetes

Researchers Discover How Hypoxia Drives Kidney Cancer Progression


A team of international researchers from University of Chicago Medical Center and Beijing has uncovered how hypoxia, or the shortage of oxygen, causes a vicious cycle that promotes kidney cancer progression. Hypoxia occurs when kidney cancer cells proliferate so quickly that they outgrow their blood supply. The scientists discovered that this causes over expression of … Continue reading Researchers Discover How Hypoxia Drives Kidney Cancer Progression

Fighting Kidney Failure with the Overlooked Omentum


A team of researchers from John Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County has discovered that the omentum, an often-overlooked organ and abundant source of stem cells, may be used to heal ailing kidneys. The omentum is a large fold of the peritoneum, made of fatty tissue that hangs from the stomach like an apron, covering … Continue reading Fighting Kidney Failure with the Overlooked Omentum

Podocyte-Associated Talin1 Critical for Glomerular Filtration Barrier Maintenance


Researchers from Yale University School of Medicine and University of Miami have discovered that the protein talin1 is critical to the development and maintenance of podocytes, which make up the kidney filtration barrier. They found that talin1 links integrins (the receptors that keep podocytes tightly bound to the glomerular basement membrane) to the protein actin, … Continue reading Podocyte-Associated Talin1 Critical for Glomerular Filtration Barrier Maintenance

Targeting Parietal Epithelial Cells to Treat Kidney Disease


Researchers from RWTH Aachen University in Germany have made a surprising discovery about parietal epithelial cells, kidney progenitor cells that continue to multiply throughout the life cycle. The scientists set out to prove that these cells could help generate new podocytes, which make up the kidney’s filtration barrier and are damaged in many types of … Continue reading Targeting Parietal Epithelial Cells to Treat Kidney Disease