Inside the Lab: Kidney Cell Conversation

We invest over £6m each year in life-changing diabetes research. This World Kidney Day, March 9, marks the beginning of a whole new project in kidney research and care.

Professor Claire Hills (pictured) is Professor of Renal Physiology at the University of Lincoln. With our funding, she is working with her PhD student, Paige Phillips, to improve treatments for kidney and eye damage and how to protect people with diabetes from these. complications.

Professor Hills talks about his diabetes research journey:

“I have had a long-standing interest in diabetes and its complications, ever since I completed my Ph.D. Researched. In 2015, Diabetes UK, I set up my own lab at the University of Lincoln to further understand whether this cellular communication underpins the inflammation that determines the rate of kidney damage.

Kidney cell language lesson

Our kidneys play an important role in filtering our blood and keeping us healthy. High fever can damage kidney cells in people with diabetes. Blood glucose levelcausing inflammation.

Healthy cells can communicate with each other via chemical signals, helping to ensure that each cell is functioning properly.

When kidney cells become inflamed and damaged, they affect the signals they send, the “language” they speak, so that other kidney cells cannot understand them either. can cause further damage to kidney cells.

This is where Professor Hills comes in. she said:

“My research group has uncovered a distinct role for a group of proteins called connexins in initiating these harmful conversations, ultimately causing cells to become damaged and unable to function properly.”

This process can also occur in eye cells, leading to a complication of diabetes called retinopathy, but researchers have begun developing treatments to block some of the harmful conversations between eye cells. .

Professor Hills said:

“Using an already investigational drug for retinopathy, our recent study shows that blocking connexin bad language shows signs of improvement in both health and kidney function. .”

To find out more, she and her PhD student Paige Phillips are working on a new study. planThey listened to how human kidney cells, grown in conditions that mimic diabetes, spoke to each other, investigated chemical signals or language, and investigated whether spoken language causes cellular damage. I’m here.

Once we know what language the kidney cells speak, we will develop new eye treatments. Then you should be able to see if this helps translate what the cells are saying into the correct language, or if it stops them from speaking together. It helps you understand how to stop speaking the language.

The future of kidney care

Kidney damage is one of the most common complications in diabetic patients. So there’s an urgent need for kidney research like Professor Hills’ project to find better treatments and stop the damage. Professor Hills talked about some of her next steps and what she wants to see in the future.

“Going forward, we aim to further develop our findings on the kidney, to better understand whether our findings can be applied to other parts of the body, and to treat more complications of diabetes. I’m here.

“My daily motivation continues to be fueled by the prospect that collaborative work in conjunction with my research program will help advance our understanding of what initiates and promotes kidney damage. Or, I hope we can find a cure and a cure for everyone who suffers from this debilitating condition.”

outside the lab

In his spare time, he is passionate about combining good food and drink with cooking, travel and interior design.

But when I returned to the lab, my research would not have been possible without my help. The generosity of their supporters helps Professor Hills and her dedicated colleagues make important discoveries that change the lives of people with diabetes.

“With your support, I am inviting the Joseph Banks Institute at Lincoln University to bring together scientists of all kinds to work together to better understand how the complications of diabetes develop. find a cure and improve the lives of people with diabetes.”

Find out more about the research projects we fund here.