Oxalate and your immune system in kidney stones
Official title: Oxalate-Driven Host Responses in Kidney Stone Disease
Funded at University of Alabama at Birmingham · NIH-11359754 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant looks at how oxalate in our diet affects kidney stone risk and our immune cells, especially in adults with calcium oxalate stones.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Birmingham, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $502,545 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK129885-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11359754 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones or those at risk may be eligible to participate in related components of the study.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without kidney stone history or without related immune/monocyte concerns may see no direct benefit.
What this research studies
If you have or are at risk for kidney stones, this project will study how oxalate-rich meals may change tiny crystals in urine and how your immune cells respond. Researchers will use blood samples from adults and model systems to see how monocytes and other immune players react to oxalate and calcium oxalate crystals. They aim to connect dietary oxalate with inflammation and crystal formation to understand why stones recur. The study will combine human data with experimental models to translate findings into potential dietary or therapeutic approaches. Results could help tailor strategies to reduce stone recurrence and improve quality of life.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to better dietary guidance and new treatments to prevent recurrent kidney stones.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary work shows oxalate can affect monocyte energetics and inflammation, supporting potential benefits of this approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mitchell, Tanecia R — University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Study coordinator: Mitchell, Tanecia R
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Uromodulin and peptides as new targets in kidney stone biology
This NIH grant explores how a urine protein called uromodulin and its peptide pieces influence calcium oxalate kidney stones, using dogs and human biology to understand why stones form and how to prevent them.
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Oxalate‑eating probiotic to help prevent kidney stones
A new probiotic strain is being developed to help prevent calcium oxalate kidney stones by breaking down oxalic acid in the gut.
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How the kidney channel claudin‑2 affects calcium balance and calcium kidney stones
This project looks at how a kidney channel called claudin‑2 helps keep calcium from building up and forming calcium kidney stones.
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Oxalate balance in people with calcium oxalate kidney stones
This project will find out why some adults make or absorb extra oxalate that increases the chance of calcium oxalate kidney stones.
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A Probiotic to Prevent Kidney Stones
This project is developing a new probiotic to help people prevent kidney stones by breaking down a key substance called oxalic acid.
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Understanding how oxalate affects kidney stone formation and immune response
This study is looking at how eating foods high in oxalate might lead to kidney stones and how it affects kidney health, so if you've had kidney stones before, this research could help find ways to prevent them from coming back.
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.