Targeting interleukin-1α for renoprotection in crystal-induced kidney disease (C05)

• Subject Area: Nephrology ; Anatomy and Physiology
• Term: from 2019 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 394046635

Oxalate is a compound found in the diet we ingest, and it is also produced as a waste product by the human body. When oxalate levels increase in blood and urine, oxalate crystals can deposit. Interleukin-1α (IL-1α) expression is increased in kidneys of mice with crystal damage. Il1a-/- mice are completely protected from progressive kidney failure. We now plan to define the role of IL-1α in renoprotection. We will investigate the mechanism(s) of IL-1α release in vitro and in vivo, we will test whether pharmacological inhibition of IL-1α is renoprotective, and examine whether increased IL-1α concentrations predict chronic kidney disease progression in humans.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1365: Renoprotection
• Applicant Institution: shared FU Berlin and HU Berlin through:; Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Kai-Uwe Eckardt; Professor Dr. Felix Knauf