Heart cell signals that may cause kidney scarring and high blood pressure
Official title: Myocyte-to-kidney Signaling in Cardiorenal Nephrosclerosis and Hypertension
Funded at Portland VA Medical Center · NIH-11264769 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are looking at whether molecules released by injured heart cells after sudden heart events cause lasting kidney damage and high blood pressure.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Portland VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Portland, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2020 |
| Project end | December 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX004288-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11264769 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who recently had an acute cardiovascular event (for example cardiac arrest or other sudden heart injury) and who developed acute kidney problems would be the most relevant candidates for related future studies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without recent heart injury or those with longstanding, non‑cardiac causes of advanced kidney disease are unlikely to benefit directly from this research.
What this research studies
This work follows animal models of acute heart injury (like cardiac arrest) where researchers track kidney and blood pressure changes over weeks after the event. They focus on a heart-derived protein called CSRP3 found in the blood after heart injury to see if it drives kidney scarring and high blood pressure. Experiments use mice that undergo cardiac arrest and resuscitation and follow kidney structure, blood pressure, and heart changes, plus tests of the effects of giving CSRP3. The team aims to connect these lab findings to human disease with an eye toward future treatments to interrupt this heart-to-kidney signaling.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If true, this could lead to ways to prevent or treat chronic kidney disease and high blood pressure that follow sudden heart injury.
How similar studies have gone: Previous animal studies have shown that cardiac arrest in mice leads to later kidney disease and hypertension and implicate the cardiac protein CSRP3, but translating this to human care is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Portland VA Medical Center
Portland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hutchens, Michael P — Portland VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Hutchens, Michael P
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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.