Project 9

Identifying the genes controlling recurrence of IgA Glomerulonephritis* (IgAN) in transplants – Are there factors which contribute to active Kidney damage?

IgAN is a major cause of kidney damage. It can usually be controlled with tight blood pressure management, but some patients will require dialysis or kidney transplantation. After kidney transplantation, the disease may recur and cause graft failure despite good BP control and immunosuppressive medicines. We believe these patients have a more ‘virulent’ form of IgAN with factors causing kidney damage: we intend to identify such factors so we may predict which patients may suffer recurrence of IgAN.

Genetic factors play a part in the development of the disease, although the exact mechanisms are unknown. We will study the genetics of patients with disease recurrence after transplantation, anticipating that genetic testing may provide a means of predicting which patients are more likely to suffer from IgAN post transplant, and perhaps which patients may be at risk from their original disease

*glomerulonephritis: a group of conditions, mostly allergic/inflammatory, which cause damage to the kidneys and may improve with treatment.