How the body's early immune response affects sudden kidney injury
Official title: Role of the innate immune system in acute kidney injury
Funded at Vanderbilt University Medical Center · NIH-11353769 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research looks at how early immune cells in the kidney affect sudden kidney damage and the healing that follows.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Vanderbilt University Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nashville, United States) |
| Project start | August 5, 2013 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $686,704 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK095785-14 |
| Project ID | NIH-11353769 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be people who have recently experienced acute kidney injury due to low blood flow, surgery, sepsis, or similar events, or those able to donate blood or kidney tissue samples for research.
✕Less likely to help
People with stable chronic kidney disease unrelated to recent ischemic injury, or those who cannot provide samples or travel to the study site, are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
Researchers are studying what immune cells like neutrophils and macrophages do after the kidney loses and then regains blood flow. They follow the timing and behavior of these cells, how they shift from promoting inflammation to supporting repair, and how neutrophils are cleared or leave the kidney. The team examines tissue, animal models, and human kidney samples to identify signals that control inflammation resolution. Their goal is to find biological steps that could be targeted to improve recovery after acute kidney injury.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new treatments that limit kidney damage and speed recovery after sudden injuries like ischemia.
How similar studies have gone: Prior animal and human-tissue studies indicate immune cells influence injury and repair in AKI, but the detailed mechanisms and effective treatments remain largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
-
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Harris, Raymond C. — Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Harris, Raymond C.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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SEAK Alliance: Improving Care for AKI Patients in the Southeast
A national, patient-centered effort to improve post-hospital care for people who had acute kidney injury in the Southeast.
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AKI-related delirium after heart surgery
This grant funds research to understand why some people develop delirium after heart surgery when they also have acute kidney injury.
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Better ways to identify types of sudden kidney injury in U.S. Veterans
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Neuroimmune control of kidney injury using noninvasive ultrasound
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Structure-based approach to prevent kidney injury from polymyxin use
Aims to block how polymyxin damages the kidney so it can be used more safely to treat hard-to-kill infections.
-
Using smart computer predictions to prevent kidney injury after heart surgery
A machine-learning approach uses routinely collected hospital data to predict who might develop acute kidney injury after heart surgery, so clinicians can act early.
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.