Key to protecting blood vessels with biomarkers found

Progress that has been decades in waiting is finally happening. Until now, doctors have been left with virtually no tools to accurately assess the vascular health of the kidneys. The tiny capillaries – the peritubular vessels – play a critical role: they provide oxygen to the organ and carry toxins out of the blood. When the kidney is damaged, for example after the blood supply is temporarily cut off during surgery or organ transplantation, these vessels can disappear, leading to irreversible deterioration in function.

Now there is hope that the situation can be reversed. A new biomarker called miR-423-5p was first detected in the blood of mice with acute kidney injury and then confirmed in 51 transplant patients. With the help of this microRNA, it is possible to understand in advance how the kidney capillaries are feeling and take action before it is too late.

But the research was not limited to this. The authors of the project went further and injected this biomarker into mice directly into the kidney – this helped to preserve blood vessels and reduce damage to the organ. Such a procedure is possible in clinics, for example, during transplantation, but the team plans to develop a more convenient way to deliver the substance into the body.

Loss of small blood vessels is a problem that underlies many chronic conditions, from heart and lung failure to certain neurodegenerative disorders. The new test could become a useful tool in diagnosis and prevention not only in nephrology but also in other areas of medicine.

Using unique tissue and blood samples from the CHUM biomaterial bank, doctors plan to determine which drugs are beneficial and which are harmful. This will help not only to preserve the kidneys after surgery, but also to tailor treatment to each individual patient.