Breakthrough In Kidney Health: Researchers Report A ‘Simple’ Method To Reverse Renal Damage

An organ that does the most amount of work, without causing a lot of chaos in the body is the kidney. The kidneys work as the silent multitaskers that perform the vital task of clearing everything out majorly

behind-the-scenes. They balance the salts and the fluids while keeping the body chemistry in harmony. And they work tirelessly without even proper management or maintenance and that is what causes kidney damage. And this one is tricky because it starts and even progresses without any warning signs and by the time the symptoms start to appear, there is already a great deal of injury that has taken place. But what if this could be reversed?Read More: Delhi AQI Hits ‘Hazardous’ 481 As PM10 Pollution Surges. Here’s How It Impacts Your Lungs and Heart

Scientists have finally found a way!

In a landmark study published in the Cell Metabolism, scientists at the University of Utah Health have revealed that they could fully reverse an acute kidney injury in mice by the blocking of harmful ceramide molecules. These ceramides present themselves as a type of fat that damages the mitochondria, aka, the power plants of the kidney cells and trigger the rapid-onset of kidney injury.

What does the research reveal?

The research team was led by Scott Summers who is a PhD, and it found that when the ceramide production in the body was genetically altered, their genetically modified “super mice” did not develop AKI, even in extreme conditions that usually tend to damage the kidneys. Another interesting thing that happened in the study was that the researchers also tested a drug candidate developed by Centaurus Therapeutics (a company co-founded by Summers) that mimics this genetic effect. Mice that were pre-treated with the drug maintained normal kidney function and stayed active while showing healthy kidney structure.

What happens next?

While the research is promising enough to translate into a future cure for kidney damage reversal, despite the excitement, experts caution that the results that are achieved in mice do not always translate to humans. The drug used in this is also still preclinical which means that it is not yet tested in human trials. When this happens, and if the human trials succeed, the implications could be huge. The researchers believe that preserving mitochondrial health would help kidney injury on top of being beneficial in other diseases where mitochondrial dysfunction plays a role such as fatty liver disease, diabetes, heart failure.Read More: Struggling with Delhi’s Toxic AQI? 5 Home Hacks to Breathe Easier