Looking closely at kidneys affected by lupus nephritis to learn what goes wrong
Official title: Interrogating The Biology Of Human Lupus Nephritis Using Single Cell Resolution Spatial Transcriptomics
Funded at Seattle Children's Hospital · NIH-11309987 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work uses high-detail tissue mapping of kidney biopsies from people with lupus nephritis, including children, to find the specific cells and genes driving kidney damage.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Seattle Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2024 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $801,241 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK136980-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11309987 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People (including children and adults) with lupus nephritis who are undergoing a clinically indicated kidney biopsy and are willing to allow leftover biopsy tissue for research are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People who do not have kidney involvement from lupus or who will not have a kidney biopsy are unlikely to receive direct benefit from participating.
What this research studies
You would be asked to allow small pieces of your (or your child's) kidney biopsy tissue to be analyzed using high-resolution spatial transcriptomics, which reads gene activity while keeping each cell's location in the kidney. The team will map which cell types and immune signals are active in different parts of affected kidneys and include pediatric and adult samples. This approach keeps the tissue’s spatial context that standard single-cell methods lose and can detect fragile or rare cell types often missed before. Researchers plan to compare molecular maps across patients to identify pathways that could become targets for new treatments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new, more precise treatment targets that help more people — especially children — reach lasting remission with fewer side effects.
How similar studies have gone: Prior single-cell RNA studies in kidney disease have provided useful biological insights, but applying spatial transcriptomics to lupus nephritis in human biopsy tissue is relatively new and less tested.
Where this research is happening
-
Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jackson, Shaun William — Seattle Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Jackson, Shaun William
Related research
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Objective classification of lupus nephritis using computer vision
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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.