Research

Epidemiological studies consistently demonstrate that chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects approximately 10% of the population in western industrialized nations. In the US more than 400,000 patients receive treatment for the most serious expression of CKD, end stage renal disease (ESRD), and this number is expected to increase to over 700,000 by the year 2015. In the EU the current number of ESRD patients is estimated at 320,000 (extrapolated from the ERA-EDTA Registry 2006 Annual Report).

Despite marked progress during the last decades CKD dramatically reduces the patients’ quality of life and life expectancy. Furthermore it imposes a significant socioeconomic implication: even though an average of only 0.1 % of the population currently suffers from ESRD, a disproportional healthcare budget is needed.

The definition of CKD as proposed by the National Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (NKF/KDOQI) currently focuses on excretory function by defining stages based on decrements of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The pathophysiology of CKD is complex, as various disease associated processes (inflammatory, hemodynamic, etc.) in any compartment of the kidney (glomerular, vascular or tubulointerstitial) may finally result in a decrease of GFR potentially leading to ESRD.

SysKid will focus on early stage CKD with diabetes mellitus and hypertension as the most prevalent causative conditions, and hypothesize that, although being diverse in etiology, underlying molecular pathophysiology may be similar. SysKid will test this hypothesis by cross-validation of potential common denominators on an epidemiological, clinical as well as molecular level in CKD cohorts specified by diabetic nephropathy and hypertensive nephrosclerosis. Subsequent recruitment of novel biomarkers and drug targets will bring forward novel diagnostics and therapy approaches of clinical value.