https://medicalxpress.com/nephrology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Nephrology Wearable technologies are starting to reshape how people manage health. Continuous glucose monitors that measure blood sugar levels in diabetes patients have already shown the power of tracking an important molecule in real time. The next leap is to track other medically important molecules. However, doing so is far more difficult because most of those molecules are present at much lower concentrations than glucose. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-skin-deep-microneedle-sensor-tracks.html Fri, 17 Apr 2026 14:40:01 EDT news695650742 A new blood test can identify which individuals of African ancestry carrying high-risk APOL1 gene variants are most likely to develop kidney failure, years before clinical disease becomes apparent. Findings on the new test, developed by a team from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, are published in Nature Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-blood-kidney-failure-black-americans.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 05:00:10 EDT news695379661 Scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging have shown that an orally administered small molecule, N-propargylglycine (N-PPG), can completely prevent the formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones, protect against kidney failure, and fully restore normal survival in a mouse model of primary hyperoxaluria type 2 (PH2), a rare and currently untreatable genetic disorder that causes progressive kidney failure in infants and young adults. An estimated 1,700 people suffer from the disease in the US, although experts believe many more cases go undiagnosed. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-small-molecule-drug-candidate-rare.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:30:01 EDT news694368001 Recently analyzed evidence points to a connection between oral health and kidney health, according to work led by University of Cincinnati College of Medicine researchers. Their article, published in BMC Nephrology, combined evidence from more than 150 previously published papers, including observational studies, meta-analyses and interventional trials, and identified growing evidence of oral-renal interactions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-link-chronic-kidney-disease-periodontal.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:40:06 EDT news694175297 Despite an urgent demand for kidney donors in the U.S., about 1 in 4 donor kidneys goes unused. In 2022, more than 71,000 people were on the kidney transplant waiting list, with waitlists often extending as long as five years for a donor kidney. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-kidney-transplant-opportunity.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 19:00:02 EDT news693760611 An international research collaboration led by Queen Mary University of London and University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa has published the most comprehensive genomic investigation of kidney function ever conducted in African populations. The study sheds new light on the genetics of chronic kidney disease (CKD) across diverse African populations and will support future work aimed at improving prevention, diagnosis and treatment of kidney disease among these populations and worldwide. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-largest-genomic-kidney-function-africa.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:20:01 EDT news693748261 Researchers at UC Davis School of Medicine have uncovered how an imbalanced gut microbiome escalates the production of metabolic byproducts by certain gut bacteria. This imbalance drives a feedback loop that worsens chronic kidney disease (CKD) in mice. The scientists identified an investigational drug that might break the destructive cycle. The findings are published in Science. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-imbalanced-gut-microbiome-worsens-chronic.html Thu, 19 Mar 2026 14:00:07 EDT news693133097 MDI Bio Lab scientists discovered how zebrafish solve a basic challenge in regenerative biology—insights in their newest publication in the journal Development could one day guide human repair. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-kidney-regeneration-zebrafish-filters-pipes.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 16:00:01 EDT news692979494 A Japanese registry has identified a blind spot in the routine care of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Serum bicarbonate levels are rarely measured, leaving metabolic acidosis largely undetected and hence, undertreated. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-hidden-acid-imbalance-kidney-disease.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:20:01 EDT news692969641 An interdisciplinary team from the University Hospitals Cologne and Bonn have conducted the first prospective study to investigate whether very early intervention in unborn children with congenital lower urinary tract obstruction (cLUTO) can improve their chances of survival and subsequent kidney function. The researchers aim to fundamentally improve the prognosis for this serious disease and ideally spare affected children from dialysis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-early-intervention-severe-fetal-megacystis.html Fri, 13 Mar 2026 16:00:03 EDT news692627950 A closer examination of the APOL1 gene in Black patients with kidney disease can provide more accurate diagnoses than current protocols, a new study from researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons has found. Accurate diagnosis is important as treatments for kidney disease depend on the disease's root causes and will take on more importance when treatments in development for APOL1 kidney disease become available. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-protocol-kidney-disease-diagnosis-black.html Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:00:06 EDT news692439062 A new national study evaluating a landmark U.S. transplant policy change finds that efforts to correct the harms of race-based kidney function equations are associated with increased kidney transplantation rates among Black patients. The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, underscores how reparative strategies that address the harms of race-based algorithms in medicine can help save lives. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-policy-higher-kidney-transplant-black.html Mon, 09 Mar 2026 11:00:01 EDT news692018341 Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a drug-and-supplement combination therapy that is capable of reducing the harmful effects of senescent cells—also known as "zombie cells"—in diabetic kidney disease. In eBioMedicine, the team reported that the combination of the cancer drug dasatinib and a naturally occurring substance known as quercetin decreased inflammation and boosted protective factors in the kidney. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-combination-therapy-effects-zombie-cells.html Thu, 05 Mar 2026 14:20:03 EST news691937761 A new AI-based method reconstructs spatial information about where immune cells were originally located in an organ, even after these cells have been removed from the tissue and analyzed individually. To accomplish this, researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn use the transcriptome, i.e., the entirety of all messenger RNA transcripts produced by genes within a cell at a given time. The work has been published in the journal Advanced Science and introduces the new MERLIN algorithm. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-immune-cells-retain-molecular-memory.html Mon, 02 Mar 2026 12:00:06 EST news691673341 Approximately one in seven adults in the United States has kidney disease, where the organs responsible for filtering waste and excess water from the blood are damaged, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over time, this condition can lead to kidney failure, heart attack and stroke. But as many as 90% of people with chronic kidney disease don't know that they have the condition because there are often no symptoms during the early stages of the disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-covid-infection-higher-kidney-disease.html Wed, 25 Feb 2026 17:20:02 EST news691258081 Scientists from The University of Manchester and Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust have discovered that the combination of two biomarkers can reliably identify sarcopenia, a serious condition of the muscle linked to higher mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD). The test, say the researchers, could identify individuals at risk of the condition which is typified by loss of muscle mass and strength as well as an overall poorer quality of life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-creatinine-muscle-index-deadly-complication.html Thu, 12 Feb 2026 14:00:01 EST news690045258