A grant of $1.75 million spread over four years has been made to study how to prevent kidney damage and, ultimately, failure, caused by type 2 diabetes.
The chief researcher in this project is Dr Krisztian Stadler, who has published 56 research articles which are often quoted in other scientists' work.
"Kidney disease is a major complication of obesity and type 2 diabetes," Dr. Krisztian Stadler said. "Our projects focus on discovering the mechanisms that lead to the death of proximal tubular epithelial cells."
Tubular epithelial cells play a crucial role in kidney function, and the cells require high amounts of a specific type of energy source to work correctly - lipids and fatty acids, Dr. Stadler said. Unfortunately, people with type 2 diabetes have lipid metabolism derailments. Their kidney tubular cells can't properly burn fat or make enough of the molecule adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) to meet the cells' energy needs. Without enough ATP, tubular epithelial cells wither and die.
"Our hope is that by understanding these mechanisms, future interventions can be designed not only to treat but to prevent tubular cell injury and kidney failure," Dr. Stadler said.
You can read the press release here
