Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2008

Mentor: Robert D. Toto
Department: Internal Medicine
Room number: H5.122
Mail Code: 8856
Phone number: 83482
E-mail: groupwise
Project title: Urine proteomics for predicting clinical outcomes in diabetic nephropathy

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): 0202065

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): N/A

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects) patient-based research

Brief Description of Project:

Kidney disease is a catastrophic complication of diabetes characterized by progressive decline in kidney function and excessive cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Approximately one in three diabetics will develop kidney disease at some time in their life and despite currently available treatments such as drugs block the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), the majority will either progress to end-stage kidney disease or suffer a devastating cardiovascular event such as heart attack or stroke. There is a need to develop new and more sensitive markers that predict treatment response to RAS among diabetics with kidney disease, in order to reduce the residual burden of kidney disease progression and cardiovascular complications. This study will use cutting edge methods for isolating and detecting previously unidentified proteins in urine that predict treatment response to RAS using samples obtained from a well characterized, multiethnic population of adult patients with diabetes and kidney disease followed longitudinally in a clinical trial. Detection of protein markers that can predict treatment response in these patients will lead to better methods of treatment, diagnosis, and ultimately prevention of this devastating disease and its complications.