Researchers from Indiana University have made important discoveries about PKD cyst formation using virtual tissue technology. Building a virtual nephron, the scientists used computer simulation to show that PKD gene mutations caused errors in cell adhesion. When cells failed to stick together, they formed mushroom-shaped cysts. When cells stuck together, but failed to stop growing … Continue reading Computer Modeling Points to New Drug Target for PKD
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
New PKD Treatment Targets Kidney Blood Vessels
Researchers from the University of Manchester and University College London believe targeting the small blood vessels surrounding renal cysts could lead to a new treatment for polycystic kidney disease. They uncovered important abnormalities in the network of these blood vessels in mouse models of the most common form of PKD (ADPKD) and the rare form … Continue reading New PKD Treatment Targets Kidney Blood Vessels
Top News for PKD Research
Researchers continue to make important and sometimes surprising discoveries about PKD and the PKD1 gene. Here is a roundup of the latest PKD findings. A University of Colorado School of Medicine study has shown that pravastatin can slow down the growth of PKD cysts in children and young adults. – Statins Given Early Decrease Progression … Continue reading Top News for PKD Research
Citrus Fruit Compound Naringenin Could Prevent PKD Cysts
A team of scientists in England has found that naringenin, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound in grapefruit, oranges and tomatoes, could be the basis for a promising new treatment for polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Using a single-celled amoeba, they found that naringenin inhibits PKD cysts by regulating levels of the PKD2 protein (also known as … Continue reading Citrus Fruit Compound Naringenin Could Prevent PKD Cysts
Surprising Mechanism Discovered in PKD
Researchers from Yale University School of Medicine have discovered a new mechanism that affects both the severity and progression of PKD. Previously, cyst growth has been linked to mutations in the PKD1 and PKD2 genes and their associated proteins, polycystin-1 and -2. Scientists have found that defective cilia in renal tube cells also play a … Continue reading Surprising Mechanism Discovered in PKD