The KRAKIL Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Kidney Recovery after Acute Kidney Injury – Longitudinal study
IRAS ID
271413
Contact name
James W Dear
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 3 months, 0 days
Research summary
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a major health problem being both common and costly. It affects ~20% of hospital inpatients and consumes ~1% of the annual NHS budget. AKI occurs following a diverse range of insults, commonly ischaemia-reperfusion injury but also sepsis and drug toxicity. In those who survive an episode of AKI, 30% are left with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The remaining 70% that recover full renal function are at ~28-fold increased risk of ultimately developing CKD.
The recognition that AKI and CKD are linked is recent and the molecular pathways that control the transition from acute injury to chronic disease are not well defined. Currently, there are no specific treatments that reduce the risk of progressing to CKD after AKI. Thus, there is an unmet need for therapies that will prevent the transition from AKI to CKD and reduce the cardiovascular burden associated with both. Our preliminary investigations (not yet published) in humans and mice suggest that AKI causes sustained activation of the endothelin (ET) system to the long-term detriment of renal and systemic haemodynamic function. These pilot data form the basis of our project that seeks to determine whether the ET system is active in patients with AKI and, thus, represents a potential target for therapeutic intervention.
This study is designed to review the effects of ET on both particpants with AKI and those withut by taking recurrent blood and urine samples and performing eye scans in some instances. The hypothesis is that those participants with AKI will have higher ET levels. The participants will also be invited to return at 30 and 90 days for repeat sampling to support this hypothesis.
Participants will be recruited from the Emergency Department and acute patients wards.REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/WM/0341
Date of REC Opinion
29 Nov 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion