SIRPα's role in heart enlargement and muscle wasting in chronic kidney disease
Official title: Chronic Kidney Disease-Induced Defects Initiated by SIRPα
Funded at Michael E Debakey VA Medical Center · NIH-11129650 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research looks at whether a protein called SIRPα causes muscle wasting and harmful heart growth in adults with chronic kidney disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Michael E Debakey VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX005792-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11129650 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with chronic kidney disease, especially those with muscle loss (cachexia) or evidence of heart enlargement, would be the most relevant candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without chronic kidney disease, children, or patients whose symptoms are driven by pathways unrelated to SIRPα are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
From the patient perspective, researchers will measure SIRPα, inflammation, and insulin/IGF1 signaling in heart, muscle, fat tissue, and blood from people and laboratory models with chronic kidney disease. They will compare patient samples to controls and run lab experiments to see how changes in SIRPα drive muscle loss (cachexia) versus increased heart muscle mass. The work combines human tissue or blood analyses with cell and animal experiments to link molecular changes to real heart and muscle effects. The goal is to explain why CKD causes wasting in skeletal muscle and growth in the heart so better treatments can be developed.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to prevent or treat muscle wasting and dangerous heart changes in people with CKD.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has shown SIRPα is linked to insulin resistance and muscle wasting in CKD, but using that insight to explain and prevent CKD-related heart remodeling is a newer direction.
Where this research is happening
-
Michael E Debakey VA Medical Center
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Thomas, Sandhya S — Michael E Debakey VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Thomas, Sandhya S
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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.