How NSAID pain medicines affect kidney health

Non-SteroidAl Impact on Kidney Disease Study (NSAIDS)

NIH-funded research Northern California Institute/res/edu · NIH-11325408

This project will test blood and urine biomarker checks to spot early kidney harm from common NSAID pain medicines in adults who use them.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionNorthern California Institute/res/edu NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (San Francisco, United States)
Project IDNIH-11325408 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

Researchers will collect blood and urine samples from adults who take NSAID pain medicines and measure multiple kidney biomarkers to build a monitoring panel. The panel is designed to detect injury in the kidney tubules that standard creatinine tests often miss and to identify patterns specifically linked to NSAID use. The team will use these markers to forecast who may experience future declines in kidney function. If the panel works, it could help doctors catch problems earlier and make safer pain-treatment choices.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Adults who regularly use NSAID pain medicines, including people with or at higher risk for chronic kidney disease, would be the ideal candidates.

Not a fit: People who do not take NSAIDs or who already have end-stage kidney disease on dialysis are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: Could allow earlier detection of NSAID-related kidney injury so patients can be treated more safely or switch to safer pain options sooner.

How similar studies have performed: Some kidney injury biomarkers have shown promise in other settings (like surgical or drug-related injury), but using a tailored panel specifically for NSAID-related tubular damage is relatively novel.

Where this research is happening

San Francisco, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-10 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.