Pictured left- right (standing) Prof Finian Martin (UCD), Prof Peter Maxwell (QUB), Dr David Savage (QUB), (seated) Prof Catherine Godson (UCD), Minister for Labour Affairs Dara Calleary, Dr Denise Sadlier (UCD).
UCD researchers led by Prof Catherine Godson, with collaborators at Queen’s University Belfast and The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT have been awarded €4 million through the US-Ireland R&D Partnership to identify the genetic factors involved in the development of diabetic kidney disease.
In a programme called GENIE (GEnetics of Nephropathy, an International Effort), teams of researchers including Prof Godson and co-investigators Prof Finian Martin and Dr Denise Sadlier will use a genetic approach called genome-wide association studies. This powerful method will allow them to search for the factors that influence the development of diabetic kidney disease. Through the GENIE investigations, the group hopes to define the impact of such genetic factors on kidney function.
Kidney disease is a common and devastating complication of diabetes, and represents a major public health problem worldwide. Diabetes is the leading cause of end stage renal disease with patients requiring dialysis and transplantation. At present, treatment options are limited and do not reverse the decline in renal function associated with diabetic kidney disease.
Commenting on the project, Prof Catherine Godson said, “Inherited, genetic factors play a role in determining who will get diabetic kidney disease, and as long as these factors remain unknown, we are limited in our ability to develop improved treatments and preventive measures. We hope that these studies will identify novel biomarkers and targets for therapeutic intervention in this debilitating disease”.
The US-Ireland R&D Partnership was established to increase the level of collaborative research and development among researchers across Ireland, Northern Ireland and the US in the areas of nanotechnology, sensor technology, diabetes and cystic fibrosis.
US Ambassador to Ireland, Dan Rooney hosted the event, at which four tri-partite US-Ireland R&D partnerships totalling €7 million were announced. Ambassador Rooney welcomed the partnerships, saying: “These successful projects have come through a US review process that is the international gold standard for research excellence. This clearly demonstrates the high quality of advanced research across the island of Ireland and adds greatly to its reputation as a centre of innovation that can compete on an international stage.”
