Grant: Operating Grant

Up to two million Canadians are affected by kidney disease or are at risk of developing it. Kidney disease may sometimes need to be treated by dialysis or by a kidney transplant and people with kidney disease are also much more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. Irrespective of the underlying cause, a common feature of chronic kidney disease is injury to the tiny blood vessels of the kidney, which leads to kidney damage. One particular protein in the kidney that helps new blood vessels to grow is called stromal-derived factor 1 (SDF-1). Our previous work has found that the amount of SDF-1 in kidneys is abnormal in kidney disease and may explain why kidney disease occurs in some patients. Our experiments will look at ways of improving the way SDF-1 works in the kidney by either increasing or decreasing its actions. The experiments will also look at a new way to change the expression of the SDF-1 gene in the kidney using ultrasound. Through these studies we hope to find new treatments to slow or even reverse the progression of kidney disease that may benefit the millions of people at risk.