Understanding Kidney Disease in Diverse Communities and Environmental Factors

Geographic and Environmental Health Equity in Kidney Precision Medicine

NIH-funded research Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill · NIH-11171398

This project aims to better understand kidney diseases by studying people from different backgrounds and how their environment might affect their kidney health.

Quick facts

Grant typeU01 cooperative agreement
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniv of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Chapel Hill, United States)
Project IDNIH-11171398 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

Acute and chronic kidney diseases are common and costly, and we currently lack complete tools for diagnosis and treatment. This project is part of the larger Kidney Precision Medicine Project, which collects kidney tissue samples to gain deeper insights into these conditions. We are specifically focused on including participants from diverse geographic areas, including rural, Black, LatinX, and Indigenous communities, as neighborhood context and environmental factors significantly influence kidney disease prevalence. Our goal is to safely recruit and retain these participants, ensuring ethical standards are met during the collection of research kidney biopsies. By studying these diverse samples, we hope to uncover new knowledge that can lead to improved understanding and treatment of kidney diseases.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are individuals with acute or chronic kidney disease, particularly those from diverse racial, ethnic, or rural communities.

Not a fit: Patients without acute or chronic kidney disease or those unwilling to undergo a research kidney biopsy would not directly benefit from participation in this specific project.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to more accurate ways to diagnose and treat kidney diseases, particularly benefiting communities that are currently underserved.

How similar studies have performed: This project builds upon the ongoing Kidney Precision Medicine Project, which has established protocols for kidney tissue acquisition, but this specific focus on health equity and environmental factors represents an important expansion.

Where this research is happening

Chapel Hill, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.