Better tests to predict how donated kidneys will work after transplant
Novel Kidney Injury Tools in Deceased Organ Donation to Predict Graft Outcomes
Quick urine tests from deceased donors are being used to help transplant teams pick kidneys that will work better for people needing a transplant.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11238868 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project looks at proteins in urine collected from people who donated kidneys after death to find signs of a kidney's ability to repair itself. Researchers will measure repair biomarkers such as YKL-40, uromodulin, and osteopontin in donors who had acute kidney injury or high KDPI. They will pilot real-time point-of-care urine tests on samples from about 500 donors and link those findings to how well the transplanted kidneys work in recipients over time. The work is done with organ procurement organizations and transplant centers so test results could be used during organ allocation decisions.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People on the kidney transplant waiting list or patients receiving kidneys from deceased donors—especially transplants involving donors with acute kidney injury or high KDPI—are the most likely to benefit.
Not a fit: People who are not candidates for kidney transplantation or those receiving living-donor kidneys are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help more good kidneys get transplanted and reduce the number of usable kidneys that are unnecessarily discarded.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier phases of this program found promising links between donor urine repair biomarkers and long-term graft function, and this phase is testing real-time point-of-care use of those markers.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Parikh, Chirag R — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Parikh, Chirag R
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 below.