Hope floats for Kidney Patients

A protein linked to kidney failure has been identified which could pave the way for new interventions to treat the disease.

The protein plays a crucial role in kidney fibrosis, a condition that leads to kidney failure, researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine said.

The research team studied three mouse models of kidney fibrosis. 

One group of mice contained HIV viral proteins incorporated into their genome. 

The second group was injected with a high dose of folic acid. 

In the third group, kidney filtration was blocked in one kidney. 

All of these factors caused kidney fibrosis, Xinhua reported.

The researchers compared the genetic material of mice having kidney fibrosis with those that did not suffer from the condition. 

They found that HIPK2, a protein kinase, or regulator, was highly active in the mice with kidney fibrosis.

When HIPK2 eliminated, fibrosis was less prominent and the condition of the mice significantly improved.

The study was published this week in Nature Medicine.