Research Projects

Research projects are at the heart of Kidneys for Life – the funding and support that we raise, helps this vital research continue, our grants would be considered as “Pump Priming Grants” and if you would like a further explanation and an example please follow download KFL – Pump Priming Grants Explanation.

One such grant was awarded to Professor Adrian Woolf who said “that a grant from Kidneys for Life has allowed his team to generate and grow human mini-kidneys in a dish.  Adrian is a kidney consultant at the Royal Manchester Children’s hospital where he runs a clinic for families with inherited kidney problems.

mini kidney

He told us that “With Professor Susan Kimber and her team in the University of Manchester, we have been able to take special ‘pluripotent cells’ and encourage them to form little kidneys that contain glomeruli and tubules. They look just like small human kidneys”. Using the latest stem cell technologies the team have also begun to  grow mini-kidneys from a simple blood sample taken from people with inherited kidney diseases. Adrian also told us that “Kidneys for Life’s grant has been critical in getting this work started. In the future, the door is open to make new mini-kidneys that make urine and to find new treatments for potentially devastating inherited kidney diseases”

The deadline for the KFL 2023 Research Grant programme has now passed. Details on all successful projects can be found below.

If you have any questions surrounding please do get in touch

Statements

Research Grant Application SOP 2023

KFL Statement on Human Stem Cell Research

2023 KLF Research Grants
Total Funded: £46,401

Targeting miR-21 to inhibit the inflammatory response following ischaemic kidney injury 

Biomarkers of cognitive impairment in CKD

Assessment of within and between subject biological variability of salivary potassium in patients with chronic kidney disease

Are elevated inflammatory state a cause for, or consequence of, the loss of residual kidney function in dialysis?

Efficacy and Predictive Factors of Rituximab Treatment in Membranous Nephropathy

2022 KLF Research Grants
Total Funded: £49,018

Cardiovascular Risk Profiling in ANCA-Associated Glomerulonephritis

Combining Spatial Transcriptomics and Hyperion Imaging Flow Cytometry to identify therapeutic targets in human Diabetic kidney disease

Manchester Vascular Access Study (MANVAS)

Long-term efficacy of gene therapy for an early onset bladder disease

Pinpointing where kidney and lower urinary tract malformation genes are expressed in human development

Relevance of Non-HLA Antibodies in Kidney Transplantation

Research Nurse Support

2021 KLF Research Grants
Total Funded: £57,361

Using Biomarkers in developing Precision Medicine in Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome  

Click to hear Omar Ragy describing his project in more detail C19-nephrotic vs Idiopathic nephrotic (KFL project grant)

Improving the accuracy of chronic kidney disease monitoring using postal finger prick iohexol measured GFR

Defining Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome with proteogenomic analysis – A Proof of Concept study

Enhancing the Kidney Information Network

Utility of TTV Viral load as a biomarker of immunocompetence in Transplantation

Outcomes of a Pre-operative Exercise Regimen for patients undergoing hand-assisted live donor nephrectomy And kidney Transplantation (OPERATe)

Treating a genetic kidney disease in a human stem cell model

Transdermal fluid removal in patients with fluid overload

Prediction Tool in Anti-GBM Disease to Improve Kidney and Patient Outcome

The Role of Peritoneal Calcification in the Pathogenesis of Encapsulating Peritoneal Sclerosis

Investigating genetic variants in the progression of autoimmune membranous nephropathy

Unravelling which kidney cell types are affected in Renal Cyst and Diabetes Syndrome caused by HNF1B mutation using Single Cell RNAseq of stem cell kidney organoids

2019 KLF Research Grants
Total Funded: £84,756

A new device to simplify minimal invasive pyeloplasty –  an update on the project can be found here.

Identifying barriers and enablers for return to work for transplant patients: a scoping study

Validation of cystatin C for GFR estimations in older patients with cystic fibrosis to describe and prevalence of CKD – Here is the final report on this project can be Accuracy of creatinine and Cystatin C eGFR versus iohexol mGFR in an older adult Cystic Fibrosis Population

Can pre-operative testing be used to predict incisional hernia formation after renal transplantation?

A longitudinal, observational pilot study of sleep chronobiology in HD recipients

Defining the molecular signature for ANCA associated vasculitis

The role of high vascular flow and vascular patterning in tissue engineered renal genesis – we have received an update on this project which can be found here  Update on project -The role of high vascular flow and vascular patterning in tissue engineered renal genesis

Development of smarter Urinary sphincter – this project is currently not going ahead

2018 KLF Research Grants
Total Funded: £46,895

Genetic associations with increased repolarisation heterogeneity and cardiac risk in HD patients

Investigation of gene therapy techniques for the lower urinary tract

Modelling congenital cystic disease using human pluripotent stem cell-derived kidney organoids

Proteomic analysis of molecules exchanged using new medium cut-off dialysis membrane

Studying human kidney malformations in a dish

2017 KLF Research Grants
Total Funded: £95,283

Elucidating the effect and role of hypoxia on differentiation of stem cells to kidney progenitors

The Impace of abdominal wall closure technique on incidence of incisional hernia in kidney transplant

Investigating FGF23 as a modulator of renal hypertrophy

What is the significance of shortening Acute Kidney Injury Recovery Time – “This grant has been funded by our KFL Cycle Team 2017”

A Pilot Analysis of the Changes in the Oral Microbiome Associated with Kidney Transplantation – “This grant has been funded by our KFL Cycle Team 2017”

A zebrafish screen for chemicals to delay chronic kidney disease

Investigation on the impact of Chronic Kidney Disease on hepatic drug metabolising enzymes and use of Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modelling

The use of Microdialysis catheters to assay the interstitial fluid in kidney allografts immediately after transplantation– “This grant has been funded by our KFL Cycle Team 2017”

Using the Speckle Doppler to Quantify Perfusion Quality in Kidney and Pancreas Grafts on vascular reperfusion

Why do mutations of ACTB, coding for β-actin, cause kidney malformations?

Assessment of Pancreas Allografts Using Novel Magnetic Resonance Techniques

2016 KLF Research Grants
Total Funded: £143,539

Effect of Donor Nephrectomy on Renal-Bone Axis and Signalling Pathway of Renal Compensatory Hypertrophy – Pilot Study

Investigating integrin activation in nephrotic syndrome – “This grant has been funded by our KFL Cycle Team 2016”

Investigating the T and B cell response in Primary Membranous Nephropathy

Insulin therapy as a marker of beta-cell death in pancreas donors

Innovative molecular approaches to prevent dialysis-related peritoneal fibrosis – “This grant has been funded by our KFL Cycle Team 2016”

Cardiac Fibrosis in End Stage Renal Failure and Diabetes: Role of Simultaneous Pancreas And Kidney Transplantation (SPKT) – “This grant has been partially funded by our China Trekkers 2016”

A feasibility study into developing a care delivery model for limited rate ultrafiltration in in-centre thrice weekly haemodialysis – “This grant has been funded by our China Trekkers 2016”

An evaluation of quality and accuracy of imputed HLA Class I and II genotype assignment data generated from High Density single nucleotide polymorphism gene chips and assessing the suitability of this method as a cost effective approach for determining ‘extended HLA region’ typing of stored retrospective transplant DNA samples

A pilot study to determine the impact of exercise on cognitive function in haemodialysis patients

Understanding the role of ITGA11 in renal fibrosis to advance diagnostic and therapeutic strategies

Development of a North West Big Data Transplant and Renal Cloud – Proof of Principle  “This grant has been funded by our KFL Cycle Team 2016”

2015 KLF Research Grants
Total Funded: £154,078

Are critical regulatory T cells present in the peri-nephric fat of human kidney allografts?

An investigation of transcapillary plasma refill during ultrafiltration in haemodialysis

Cardiac Output Monitoring in Donation After Cardiac Death

Characterisation of IQCJ deletion in vitro, mouse and human

Developing a health economic model of diagnosis and management of membranous nephropathy – “This grant has been funded by the London to Paris Cycle Team 2015”

Does High Dose Haemodiafiltration alter drug kinetics compared to conventional dialysis therapy? – “This grant has been funded by the London to Paris Cycle Team 2015”

The Prevalence and Clinical Relevance of Non Human Leucocytes Antigen (Non-HLA) Antibodies in Renal Transplantation – “This grant has been funded by the London to Paris Cycle Team 2015”

The use of Epitope Panning to identify potential causative agents for EBV negative Post-transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder (PTLD) – “This grant has been funded by the London to Paris Cycle Team 2015”

Towards understanding the biology of human renal tract malformations using a patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell model

Understanding the interaction of genetics and environment in triggering anti-PLA2R production in membranous nephropathy in the UK BioBank Population – “This grant has been funded by the London to Paris Cycle Team 2015”

Utilising novel microscopy approaches to understand glomerular disease

Previous Research Grants
Total Funded: £500,916

You can find a full list of our grants for research projects below:

A Trial of Near Infra-red Spectroscopy (NIRS) to monitor Renal Vascular Flow in Real Time in Paediatric Intensive Care Patients

An observational study to examine changes in Serum Bone profile following Unilateral Nephrectomy

Anti-PLA2R antibodies in membranous nephropathy

Are Mutations In Alport Syndrome Genes Associated With Encapsulating Peritoneal Sclerosis (EPS)?

Autoimmune Kidney Disease

Compare microRNA expression of renal AAV

Continuous Gloucose Monitoring in post op Pancreas Transplant

Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound Scanning for Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation

Discovery of a novel gene causing renal failure

Discriminating between cases of primary and secondary Membranous Nephropathy (MN)

Effect of donor nephrectomy on markers of bone function in living kidney donors

Effects of Goal-Directed Therapy on Inflammatory Mediators and Postoperative Outcome in Pancreas Transplant: A Prospective, Randomised Clinical Trial

Effects of long hours haemodialysis on phosphate clearance

Genetic characterization of bladder exstrophy

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

Improving Outcomes in Acute Kidney Injury in Paediatric Intensive Care Patients

Investigation into sodium distribution in anuric patients on dialysis (SoDIUM Study)

Manchester Renal Patient BioBank (MRPB)

National Rare Kidney Disease Working Group for Membranous Nephropathy

Rare Kidney Disease Consortium

Recurrence of Idiopathic Membranous Nephropathy (IMN) post transplantation

Retinal Imaging to identify calcification

Sensitisation to MICA in renal patients

Screening for Anxiety and Depression among the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Patient Population at Manchester Royal Infirmary

Structured Educational Interventions in CKD

TransCal Study

Understanding the immune pathology of SLE membranous nephritis