Scots experts in kidney genes breakthrough

SCIENTISTS in Scotland have discovered 20 genes that could help explain the causes of kidney disease.

Edinburgh University researchers were among an international team of experts who found that the genes help to control vital kidney functions, such as filtering waste substances from the blood.

The findings could shed light on what goes wrong in patients with kidney failure.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The scientists said identifying the genes that control kidney function was an important step in developing new treatments for chronic kidney disease.

The scientists, writing in the journal Nature Genetics, studied the genes of nearly 70,000 people across Europe.

In the course of the study they identified 13 new genes that influence renal function and seven other genes that affect the production and secretion of creatinine – a chemical waste molecule that is generated from muscle metabolism and filtered through the kidneys.

The findings could allow for the creation of new drugs to restore kidney function in people with chronic kidney disease or kidney failure.

Dr Jim Wilson, a Royal Society research fellow at Edinburgh University, said: "The discovery of these 20 new genes is another example of how large collaborative genome wide association meta-analyses can open up the black box of disease mechanism, in this case kidney function.

"These deeper functional insights are the first steps to developing new treatments for chronic kidney disease."

The research was carried out in collaboration with scientists at 80 medical research institutions around the world.