The Kidney Nephron Expresses Factors that Predict Progression of Diabetic Nephropathy

A staggering 9.3% of the U.S. population has diabetes which results in the largest single cause of end stage renal failure (ESRD). Kidney disease is a “silent killer” because qualitative measurements of kidney health such as serum creatinine and urine albumin are only detectable when the injury has become irreversible. The absence of a quantitative measure of kidney health has been the barrier for nephrologists to develop efficacious treatments of kidney disease. The goal of this project is to (i) determine whether the newly established kidney injury biomarker, NGAL, can be used to predict renal injury and failure in diabetic patients and (ii) screen the kidney for novel biomarkers using a novel RNA isolating mouse for cell specific and temporal gene expression.