SCIENCE UP THE WORLD 15TH INTERNATIONAL STUDENT CONGRESS OF MEDICAL SCIENCES JUNE 3RD - 6TH 2008

Project B

Dept. Kidney Center
Groningen Research Institute for Drug Exploration (GUIDE)

Coordinator: Prof. Dr. G.J. Navis.

In Kidney Center various projects are running using diverse methodologies (see 1-5). You are invited to express your interests in one of these fields (being either clinical, epidemiological, human- or animal in vivo- or in vitro experimental) to indicate what project interests you most. It should be made clear what you expect from this course. Please look in PubMed to the more recent publications of the staff members involved, to focus on specific projects. So please make clear what field interests you most. (E.g. F1 or F4)

1. Patients with renal disease and progressive renal function loss, are being studied with respect to the mechanisms via which the urinary protein leakage results in renal function loss. Both non-diabetic- and diabetic renal disease are studied. Most of these patients are being included in clinical trials to study the efficacy of regimens to lower proteinuria and to prevent progressive renal function loss. Our center also has a large population of renal transplant recipients. These patients are monitored very closely, and regimens aimed at increasing the duration of graft function as well as patient survival are being studied currently. (GJ Navis, M Seelen)
2. General population and cohorts are studied to detect which parameters lead to initiation of progressive renal function loss. The PREVEND cohort from the general population is a good example. The natural course is followed to study possible causes of morbidity and mortality in relation to microalbuminuria. (PE de Jong, RT Gansevoort)
3. A unique clinical methodology is available for combined measurement of renal hemodynamics and extracellular volume in man. Studies are conducted in healthy volunteers, healthy kidney donors and and specific patient populations (diabetes, renal transplantation, heart failure). This set-up is used to unravel the mechanisms underlying the adverse effects of (subtle) excess of extracellular volume, either genetically, or due to environmental factors such as excess salt intake, on the heart and the kidney. (GJ Navis, H Hillege).
4. Various animal (rat) models of proteinuria and progressive renal disease are being studied, in order to unravel the mechanisms of renal damage and to optimize antiproteinuric and renoprotective treatments. To this purpose we use the following models: adriamycin nephrosis, 5/6 nephrectomy, proteinuria overload model, chronic renal transplant dysfunction, the MWF rat (spontaneous proteinuria), as well as genetic models of hypertension and renal damage, such as the Ren2TGR (J van den Born, H van Goor; GJ Navis).
5. Stem cells and the kidney. Stem cells can play a role in renal repair, but can unfortunately also have adverse effects and contribute to renal damage and fibrosis, and arteriopathy. The role of stem cells in renal damage and renal repair is studied in animal models (in experimental transplantation) as well as in man, in transplant recipients as well as patients with various renal disorders. Moreover, the use of human progenitor cells for use in the development of a bio-artificial kidney is being studied. (JL Hillebrands, JM Boomker)
6. Lifestyle and the kidney. Many lifestyle factors are involved in the risk of long term renal function loss. These include smoking as well as nutritional habits, such as excess caloric intake leading to obesity and diabetes, and excess sodium intake. The mechanisms of renal damage induced by these lifestyle factors are being studied in patients as well as experimental animals, and the effect of lifestyle intervention measures on the course of renal disease is being studied. (SJL Bakker)