Newswise — Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast are to examine DNA samples from 20,000 people with diabetes to help identify the genetic factors in diabetic kidney disease, the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide.The five-year research project is part of a new £3.7M US-Ireland research partnership which is aiming to explain why some people with diabetes are at higher risk than others of developing kidney failure – vital information that could enable personalised preventative care for those whose genetic profile puts them at risk of developing kidney complications.
The grants have been awarded under the US-Ireland Research and Development Partnership Programme. This initiative brings together world-leading experts in diabetes and genetics research at Queen’s University, University College Dublin, University of Helsinki in Finland and the Broad Institute, Boston, USA. Globally, diabetes is a huge public health problem, affecting one in 12 of the world’s population. The rapid upsurge in diabetes is fuelling an increase in the number of people with kidney failure, with diabetic kidney disease now the most common cause of end-stage kidney failure in the world. Up to 40 per cent of diabetes patients in the UK develop kidney complications. Diabetic kidney disease is often not detected until it is at an advanced stage. Over 50,000 patients in the UK are in end-stage kidney failure, which requires chronic dialysis or kidney transplant, with dialysis costing around £35,000 per person each year. One out of every four patients starting dialysis each year in the UK and Ireland has diabetic kidney disease.
Professor Peter Maxwell from the Centre for Public Health at Queen’s University, said: “The research team will study DNA from 20,000 people from all around the world with three main aims. Firstly, we will explore important variations in DNA to discover why some people with diabetes are at higher risk of kidney failure compared with others who seem to be protected from developing this complication.
“Secondly, we hope to better understand how having a poor control of diabetes – high blood sugars over a long period of time – can lead to the re-programming of DNA and an increased risk of kidney failure. Thirdly, we aim to develop new tests that could be used to screen people with diabetes to assess their risk of developing kidney complications and help select the best preventative treatment.
“This is an excellent example of the commitment of Queen’s researchers to advancing medical knowledge and changing lives. We are excited to be working with this international team of talented scientists and clinicians to discover new information to help improve outcomes for patients with diabetic kidney disease.”
Dr Janice Bailie, Assistant Director of the Public Health Agency’s HSC R&D Division, which is funding the Northern Ireland part of this project with support from the Medical Research Council, said: “We are delighted to be funding this project which will tackle an important area of public health. We expect that the outcomes of this international research will lead to significant advances in the treatment of patients with diabetic kidney disease in the UK, Ireland and beyond.”
This research partnership is a unique arrangement involving funding agencies in the USA, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland who combine resources to enable the best researchers to work together on research to address critical issues and generate valuable discoveries that will impact on patient care.End.
Media inquiries to Anne-Marie Clarke (Mon-Wed) or Michelle Cassidy (Thu-Fri) at Queen’s University Communications Office T: +44 (0)28 9097 5310 E: [email protected]
Notes to editors:1. Professor Peter Maxwell is available for interview.2. The international research consortium involving Queen’s University Belfast, University College Dublin, University of Helsinki in Finland and the Broad Institute, Boston, USA is known as GENIE (GEnetics of Nephropathy; an International Effort).3. Funders for this research include the Public Health Agency’s Health and Social Care R&D Division (HSC R&D), the Science Foundation Ireland, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the Medical Research Council.4. The US-Ireland Research and Development Partnership, launched in July 2006, is a unique initiative involving funding agencies across three jurisdictions: United States of America (USA), Republic of Ireland (RoI) and Northern Ireland (NI).5. The partner agencies in Northern Ireland are the Public Health Agency’s Health and Social Care R&D Division (HSC R&D), with support from the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland (DELNI), Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) and Invest Northern Ireland (InvestNI)6. The partner agencies in the USA are the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 7. The partner agencies in the Republic of Ireland are Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), the Health Research Board (HRB), the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation (DJEI); 8. The total award of the grant across the three countries is £3.7M. Queen’s University Belfast will receive £750,000 over five years.
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