Approved research

Discovery and characterization of the genetic contribution to kidney function

Lay summary

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important public health problem, affecting 10% of people worldwide, and associated with premature cardiovascular disease and death. Little is known on its causes and there is no effective treatment. This proposal aims to identify genetic risk factors for CKD and its associated metabolic changes, so to understand its causes and relationship with heart disease, and to provide new drug therapy for this condition. Our primary analyses will focus on white British individuals. We will implement genome-wide association models, while accounting for other risk factors including diabetes and hypertension. We will also evaluate the evidence of association for genetic variants identified for kidney function on cardiometabolic risk factors using biomarkers such as serum glucose, lipids, and inflammatory markers. This research may help to identify individuals at risk to be targeted in prevention programs.