NIH-CSR <script type="text/javascript"> var wmNotice = "UNT Web Archive - External links, forms, and search boxes may not function within this collection. Url: http://cms.csr.nih.gov/PeerReviewMeetings/CSRIRGDescription/RUSIRG/PBKD.htm time: 14:08:35 Sep 20, 2008"; var wmHideNotice = "hide"; var contextRoot = "https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/"; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/js/disclaim.js"></script> <span id="Postingname3_PostingDisplayName">Pathobiology of Kidney Disease [PBKD]</span> (RUSIRG)

[PBKD Roster]

The Pathobiology of Kidney Disease [PBKD] study section reviews grant applications involving basic and clinical studies of kidney disease. This includes investigations of pathophysiology, diagnosis, consequences and treatment of acute and chronic disorders of the kidney, the consequences of kidney disease and failure, as well as studies of the normal structure and function of the glomerulus. Studies may involve in vivo or in vitro models and/or patient-focused investigations.

Specific areas covered by PBKD:

Normal structure and function of the glomerulus and its constituent cells, including normal cell biology of glomerular cells, composition and assembly of the glomerular basement membrane, cell-matrix interactions, and regulation of glomerular filtration and permeability.
Immune and non-immune disorders of the glomerulus and tubulo-interstitium, including kidney-specific autoimmunity and renal manifestations of systemic autoimmune diseases, glomerulonephritis, non-inflammatory glomerulopathies, identification of nephritogenic antigens and antibodies, nephropathic cell-mediated immunity, and the role of inflammatory mediators and inflammatory cell infiltrates in the kidney.
Proteinuria and nephrotic syndrome, including mechanisms and mediators of proteinuria as well as the pathophysiology of nephrotic syndrome and its consequences.
Mechanisms of renal fibrosis and scarring, including post inflammatory fibrogenesis and the roles of proteinuria, ischemia, inflammatory mediators and immune mechanisms.
Progression of renal disease, including risk factors and mechanisms of disease.
Mechanisms and consequences of acute renal failure, including endothelial and epithelial cell injury, repair, and regeneration; contribution of inflammation; and mechanisms of cell death following ischemic injury and other forms of tubular epithelial injury.
Toxic injury to the kidney, including xenobiotic-mediated alterations in renal signal transduction, cell-cycle regulation, receptors, genes, and apoptosis; as well as mechanisms of renal apoptosis and necrosis, senescence, genotoxic responses, DNA damage, oxidative stress, and cellular aging.
Renal hemodynamics, including the regulation of the renal microcirculation and the hormonal regulation of renal circulatory function.
Role of the kidney in the regulation of blood pressure and in the development of hypertension, including hormonal and autocoid factors that regulate integrated functions of the kidney, including: renal hemodynamics; neural influences on the kidney; the renin-angiotensin system; and the expression of effects of nitric oxide, endothelin, and other such factors on the kidney.
Effects of hypertension on the kidney, including experimental and clinical studies of the pathophysiology, course, and treatment of hypertensive nephrosclerosis.
Vascular biology of the kidney. This includes renal vascular endothelial cell injury, dysfunction and involvement in inflammation, renovascular hypertension, and leukocyte homing to the renal microvasculature.
Studies on basic and clinical aspects of kidney ablation, including experimental models and mechanisms of allograft rejection/tolerance, mechanisms of action of immunosuppression, biomarkers, immunogenetics, chronic allograft nephropathy, prevention and/or treatment of complications, and immunoregulatory protocols for prevention and/or treatment of rejection.
Identification of biomarkers in renal disease, including both genomic and proteomic approaches.
Diabetic nephropathy.
Pathogenesis and manifestations of cystic kidney disease.
Complications and management of uremia, including renal replacement therapies (including dialysis), the pathogenesis and consequences of abnormalities of the vascular or peritoneal access for dialysis therapy, metabolic and nutritional consequences of kidney disease (including those leading to uremic manifestations), and acquired cystic diseases.
In vitro and animal models that investigate the molecular basis of “gene-environment” interactions related to the renal system focused on putative environmental susceptibility genes, and toxicogenetics.

PBKD has the following shared interests within the RUS IRG:

With Cellular and Molecular Biology of the Kidney [CMBK]: (1) Proteinuria and nephrotic syndrome. Studies of renal salt and water handling in the pathogenesis of edema could be assigned to CMBK, whereas studies of the pathogenesis of proteinuria and clinical studies of the metabolic and nutritional consequences of the nephrotic syndrome could be assigned to PBKD. (2) Progression of renal disease. Applications that address cell physiology, including cell signaling, trafficking, polarity, transport or channel properties could be assigned to CMBK. Those dealing with factors that influence the progression and whole organ pathophysiology, whether clinical or in experimental models are most appropriate for PBKD. (3) Renal hemodynamics. Hypertension resulting from, or causing, changes in cell physiology, transport, or channel abnormalities contributing to the development of hypertension could be assigned to CMBK. Applications that focus on the genetics of renal hypertension or its influence on vascular cells (endothelial and smooth muscle cells) in the kidney leading to abnormal vascular regulation could be assigned to CMBK. Applications related to the effects of hypertension on the kidney or changes in hemodynamics related to hypertension could be assigned to PBKD. (4) Identification of biomarkers in renal disease. Applications related to the molecular nature of proteins causing renal disease and its relationship with epithelial cells could be assigned to CMBK. Studies of biomarkers derived from the kidney to inform understanding of the diagnosis/treatment of kidney diseases as well as those related to genetic disorders of the glomerulus and blood vessels could be assigned to PBKD. (5) Diabetic nephropathy. Applications dealing with cell physiology, including cell signaling, trafficking, polarity, transport or channel properties could be assigned to CMBK. Those that address factors that influence the susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy, its initiation, progression, and pathophysiology (whether clinical or in in vivo or in vitro experimental models) are most appropriate for PBKD. (6) Pathogenesis and manifestations of cystic kidney disease. Molecular and clinical genetic studies in humans and animal models are more appropriate for CMBK as are studies of the transport properties of cystic epithelia. Clinical and basic studies of the effects of cystic diseases on renal function could be assigned to PBKD.
With Urologic and Kidney Development and Genitourinary Diseases [UKGD]: (1) Problems of divalent ion metabolism and stone formation following renal transplantation could be reviewed by PBKD if the application emphasizes renal physiology or pathology. Applications designed to resolve post-transplant obstructive complications, bladder reconstruction, kidney stone formation or other urological issues could be reviewed by UKGD. (2) In general, these studies will be assigned to UKGD, except when the lower urinary tract is involved in a disorder affecting the kidney, and for which PBKD has specific expertise (e.g., vasculitic syndromes, systemic lupus erythematosus).

PBKD has the following shared interests outside the RUS IRG:

With the Biological Chemistry and Macromolecular Biophysics [BCMB] IRG: Studies of metalloproteinases in kidney physiology or pathophysiology could be assigned to PBKD. If the structure/function of metalloproteinases is the main focus, the application could be assigned to the BCMB IRG. Studies that focus on renal bioenergetics in renal damage, acute renal failure or diabetic nephropathy could be reviewed in PBKD. Studies designed to address only general principles of bioenergetics and that use kidney elements primarily as a convenient source of material, may be considered under the auspices of the BCMB IRG.
With the Cell Biology [CB] IRG: (1) When the focus of the application is on glomerular cell and structural biology and the interaction with the extracellular matrix, assignment could be to PBKD. If the application uses glomerular cells to study a universal process in cell biology, assignment could be to the CB IRG. (2) Applications that focus on the general process of fibrosis and scarring could be assigned to the CB IRG. Fibrosis of the renal interstitium resulting from glomerular and/or tubular diseases could be assigned to PBKD. (3) Applications that focus on the development of proteinuria, which may involve alterations in the biology of glomerular cells and/or cell-matrix interactions, could be assigned to PBKD. Studies of basic cell injury or death (with protein leakage), could be assigned to the CB IRG. (4) Applications dealing with toxin-mediated, acute or chronic cell injury within the kidney, including proton secretion and water transport, could be assigned to PBKD. Use of toxins to probe general cellular activities, such as membrane transport or trafficking or to determine the function of cellular organelles could be assigned to CB.
With the Biology of Development and Aging [BDA] IRG: Studies of the kidney and aging are shared with the BDA IRG. Basic and clinical studies on aging that address questions specifically applicable to the kidney may be assigned to PBKD. Studies that use the kidney as a model to address questions having broad applicability for the biology of aging, or studies involving the kidney and interactions with age-related changes in other physiological systems could be assigned to the BDA IRG.
With the Bioengineering Sciences and Technologies [BST] IRG: Applications focused on the use of genomic and proteomic data to identify biomarkers in renal disease could be assigned to PBKD. If the primary focus is combining experimental validation and modeling technology or related analyses of biological data, i.e., bioinformatics, or basic methodology for data management and analysis, assignment could be to the BST IRG.
With the Health of the Population [HOP] IRG: Studies directed at proteinuria and nephrotic syndrome as risk factors could be assigned to the HOP IRG. Studies of the pathogenesis of proteinuria and clinical studies of the metabolic and nutritional consequences of the nephrotic syndrome could be assigned to PBKD.
With the Immunology [IMM] IRG: (1) Studies of autoimmunity and humoral and cellular immune responses that focus on renal or urinary tract function could be assigned to PBKD. These include clinical and animal studies of glomerulonephritis, interstitial nephritis, lupus nephritis and vasculitic syndromes as they affect the kidneys and urinary tract. Immunological events leading to autoimmunity could be assigned to the IMM IRG. (2) Applications dealing with transplantation immunology (e.g., rejection/tolerance) could be assigned to the IMM IRG. Applications that focus on the functional consequences of kidney transplantation could be assigned to PBKD.
With the Hematology [HEME] IRG: Studies of blood cells could be assigned to the HEME IRG. Studies of renal injury caused by blood cells or blood cell migration into the kidney could be assigned to PBKD.
With the Cardiovascular Sciences [CVS] IRG: (1) Applications addressing general vascular problems, including proliferation, could be assigned to the CVS IRG. Applications to investigate the vascular biology of renal vessels could be assigned to PBKD. Applications that consider problems related to vascular access for hemodialysis could be assigned to PBKD. (2) Studies directed at the mechanisms of atherogenesis could be assigned to the CVS IRG. Applications that focus on renal injury as a result of atherogenesis, including proteinuria and nephrotic syndrome, could be assigned to PBKD. (3) PBKD may be assigned applications that involve basic and clinical studies of the complications of decreased renal function and manifestations of uremia. Applications where uremia reflects an abnormality of the cardiovascular system may be best assigned to the CVS IRG. (4) Assignment of applications related to hypertension, including the role of renal hemodynamics, tubular function, and renal humoral/hormonal agents, may be made to either the CVS IRG or PBKD based on the central focus of the study. Other aspects of renal hemodynamics, tubular function, and renal humoral/hormonal agents as they affect renal function may be assigned to PBKD. Clinical studies of hypertension would generally be assigned to the CVS IRG, but hypertension associated with renal insufficiency or end-stage renal disease would be assigned to PBKD.
With the Endocrinology, Metabolism, Nutrition and Reproductive Sciences (EMNR) IRG: (1) Proteinuria and nephritic syndrome. Studies directed at the mechanisms of hyperlipidemia could be assigned to the EMNR IRG. If hyperlipidemia is studied as a possible cause of renal disease, the application could be assigned to PBKD. (2) Diabetic nephropathy. Applications dealing with factors that influence the susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy, its initiation, progression and pathophysiology may be appropriately assigned to PBKD. Applications that focus on extra-renal manifestations of diabetes could be assigned to the EMNR IRG. Basic and clinical studies of the metabolic or nutritional complications arising from kidney disease and leading to manifestations of uremia could be reviewed in PBKD if the focus is on renal function. Applications that focus on generalized effects of nutrient metabolism in diabetic nephropathy and diabetes induced metabolic abnormalities may be assigned to the EMNR IRG.
With the Digestive Sciences [DIG] IRG: Because the kidney and the liver are major organs involved in the metabolism of drugs, shared interests exist in transport mechanisms, drug therapy and toxicity. If the metabolism or toxicity is mediated by the kidney or affects the kidney, the application could be assigned to PBKD. Studies could be assigned to DIG when the kinetics, dynamics and mechanisms address disposition and effects of drugs where multiple organ systems are involved, or where the hepatic and/or gastrointestinal activities dominate.
With the Surgical Sciences, Biomedical Imaging, and Bioengineering [SBIB] IRG: (1) The SBIB IRG would be an appropriate assignment for surgical aspects of transplantation and issues involving recovery of organs for transplantation and organ preservation. Transplantation applications with direct implications for kidney function could be reviewed in the PBKD Study Section. (2) Studies of biomarkers derived from the kidney to inform understanding and diagnosis/treatment of kidney diseases could be assigned to PBKD. Studies of markers of function, such as might be developed for the radiological diagnosis of distribution of renal blood flow or epithelial cell function, could be assigned to the SBIB IRG. (3) Cell-cell interactions that determine functional alterations resulting from both acute and chronic events in the kidney could be assigned to PBKD. Studies primarily dealing with surgical outcomes or with applied radiologic imaging could be assigned to the SBIB IRG.