Diabetic kidney disease outcome could be predicted by new biomarkers

A study published in the Journal of the American society of nephrology has described the evaluation of three proteins (TNFR-1, TNFR-2 and KIM-1) that could be potential candidates for onset diabetic kidney disease.

Diabetic kidney disease is a common complication of Type 2 diabetes. It results from damage to filters in the kidney, causing a decline in kidney function due to an abnormal build up of protein in the urine. This form of kidney disease, which is currently difficult to predict, can lead to irreversible kidney failure. Improved diagnosis and treatment of this condition could soon be possible as a result of research at Icahn School of Medicine (NY, USA) led by Dr Chirag Parikh.

The identified proteins were measured in the blood of diabetic patients involved in two large federally-funded clinical trials. Any association of these proteins with a decline in kidney filtration function was then tested for. In patients with both early and advanced kidney disease, it was demonstrated that each protein was independently associated with higher decline in kidney function.

These proteins could potentially be used as biomarkers to predict kidney disease progression in diabetic patients. They could also be used in clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of disease therapies.

Sources: Coca SG, Nadkarni GN, Huang Y et al. Plasma biomarkers and kidney function decline in early and established diabetic kidney disease. J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. doi: 10.1681/ASN.2016101101 (2017) (E-pub ahead of print); http://news.yale.edu/2017/05/05/new-biomarkers-help-predict-outcomes-diabetic-kidney-disease