Kidney tubule health and heart disease risk in middle-aged and older adults
Official title: Dimensions of Kidney Tubule Health and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease and Heart Failure in Middle-Aged and Older Adults
Funded at Tufts Medical Center · NIH-11237067 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses urine markers of kidney tubule health to help identify middle-aged and older adults at higher risk for atherosclerotic heart disease and heart failure.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Tufts Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | December 25, 2022 |
| Project end | November 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $626,483 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL167233-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11237067 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Middle-aged and older adults, particularly those with chronic kidney disease, elevated urine albumin, or other cardiovascular risk factors, are the most likely candidates for this work.
✕Less likely to help
Younger adults without kidney disease or cardiovascular risk factors are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
If you join, doctors will measure eight urine markers that together form a Kidney Tubule Health Panel to capture four aspects of tubule health: injury, function, fibrosis/repair, and synthetic activity. They will study these markers in middle-aged and older adults and compare them to standard kidney tests like eGFR and urine albumin. The team will link the urine marker patterns to future heart attacks, atherosclerotic disease, heart failure, and death. The work combines urine testing with clinical data to see whether tubule signals add new information about cardiovascular risk.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could let clinicians spot people at higher risk for heart disease and heart failure earlier and tailor prevention or treatment more effectively.
How similar studies have gone: Early studies have linked individual urine tubule markers to kidney and cardiovascular outcomes, but using an eight-marker Kidney Tubule Health Panel for predicting heart disease and heart failure is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Tufts Medical Center
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sarnak, Mark J — Tufts Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Sarnak, Mark J
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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.