How breastfeeding and the kidney help keep magnesium levels (role of MUC1)
Official title: Regulation of Renal Tubular Mg2+ Handling by MUC1 and Lactation
Funded at University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh · NIH-11252353 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research looks at how the kidneys change during breastfeeding to help mothers retain magnesium.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2025 |
| Project end | December 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $584,044 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK139177-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11252353 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who are currently breastfeeding or recently postpartum and worried about low magnesium or bone loss would be the most relevant group.
✕Less likely to help
Those who are not breastfeeding or who have no concerns about magnesium or bone health are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this work.
What this research studies
As someone considering this work from a patient view, the team is trying to understand why magnesium drops during breastfeeding and how the kidney responds to conserve it. Researchers will use mouse models, including animals engineered to lack the kidney's parathyroid hormone receptor, and will examine kidney tissue, cell behavior, and relevant genes like MUC1 and cyclin D1. They will measure urinary magnesium handling and look for structural changes in the nephron segment that reabsorbs magnesium. The goal is to connect signals from the breast during lactation to specific kidney changes that preserve the body's magnesium stores.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to ways to prevent magnesium loss and protect bone health in breastfeeding mothers.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work shows lactation alters magnesium balance, but using kidney-specific PTH receptor models and detailed nephron remodeling analysis is a novel approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ray, Evan Cross — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Ray, Evan Cross
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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.