siRNA nanoparticle treatment to stop diabetic kidney damage
Official title: New siRNA therapeutics to halt diabetic kidney disease
Funded at Georgia Institute of Technology · NIH-11501229 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new nanoparticle-delivered gene-silencing treatment aims to lower kidney inflammation in people with diabetes to help protect their kidneys.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Georgia Institute of Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | March 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $248,999 |
| NIH project number | 4R00DK139418-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11501229 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who show early signs of kidney damage such as elevated urine albumin or mild kidney function decline.
✕Less likely to help
People without diabetic kidney disease or those with advanced end-stage kidney failure are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
What this research studies
Researchers are developing tiny lipid nanoparticles that carry siRNA (short pieces of RNA) to turn down a protein called ICAM1 in the blood vessel cells of the kidney. They will screen many nanoparticle designs in animals to find ones that reliably reach kidney endothelium and deliver gene-silencing cargo. Using diabetic mouse models, they will test whether reducing ICAM1 lowers inflammation and markers of kidney injury such as albuminuria. The plan is to build a delivery method that could eventually be moved into human testing if results are promising.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could reduce kidney inflammation and slow or prevent progression of diabetic kidney disease in people with diabetes.
How similar studies have gone: LNP-delivered siRNA drugs have safely and effectively knocked down liver genes in people (for example, patisiran), but delivering LNPs specifically to kidney endothelium is a new and largely untested approach in humans.
Where this research is happening
-
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Liu, Gary — Georgia Institute of Technology
- Study coordinator: Liu, Gary
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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.