Beta-2 receptor drugs to help damaged kidneys recover
Official title: The role of beta agonists in the treatment of chronic kidney disease
Funded at Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center · NIH-11212766 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Seeing if medicines that stimulate beta-2 adrenergic receptors can help people with chronic kidney disease, especially when podocyte injury is involved, recover kidney function.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charleston, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2022 |
| Project end | September 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01CX002391-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11212766 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be people with chronic kidney disease caused by podocyte or glomerular injury (for example diabetic kidney disease) who are not yet on dialysis.
✕Less likely to help
People with end-stage kidney disease already on dialysis or whose kidney damage stems from unrelated causes may not benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
This project focuses on damaged podocytes, the specialized kidney cells that are often involved in chronic kidney disease, and tests whether activating the beta-2 adrenergic receptor can speed recovery. Researchers will use laboratory and animal models and analyze gene activity linked to mitochondrial function to validate the beta-2 receptor as a treatment target. The work builds on earlier findings that beta-2 signaling can accelerate glomerular recovery after injury and aims to identify molecular pathways that could be targeted by drugs. If successful, the team will have stronger evidence to move toward human testing of beta-2–targeted therapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to new drugs that restore podocyte structure and improve kidney function in people with chronic kidney disease.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical lab and animal studies have shown promising results for beta-2 receptor activation in speeding kidney recovery, but human benefit has not yet been demonstrated.
Where this research is happening
-
Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center
Charleston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lipschutz, Joshua H — Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Lipschutz, Joshua H
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Personalized CKD-MBD care using systems biology and AI
A patient-facing program aims to tailor mineral-balance therapy for people with chronic kidney disease by using a computer model and smart decision rules to predict who will respond best to treatments.
-
Mitigating DKA in people with type 1 diabetes and kidney disease using SGLT1/2 inhibitors
This project tests a new way to prevent dangerous diabetic ketoacidosis in people with type 1 diabetes and chronic kidney disease who are using SGLT inhibitors, by tracking ketones in real time and combining glucose-keton data for safer therapy.
-
Chronic Kidney Disease in Children: following young people as they grow up with CKD
A long-term study in kids with chronic kidney disease tracks kidney function and heart health as they transition into adulthood.
-
Chronic Kidney Disease in Children follow-up study
A long-term study that follows kids with kidney disease as they grow into young adults, collecting health data from home and official records.
-
Malaria-related kidney injury and its link to chronic kidney disease in children
This grant looks at why some children who have malaria develop kidney injury and later chronic kidney disease, focusing on how severe malaria affects the kidneys over time.
-
Boosting self-care and physical activity for older adults with chronic kidney disease
This program helps older adults with chronic kidney disease build the skills, confidence, and motivation to be more physically active.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.