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 THE DESIRE FOR A SMART APPROACH FOR KIDNEY DAMAGE
Project leader: Eliane R. Popa, PhD
University Medical Center Groningen
Budget: € 1.200.000
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Increasing occurrence of kidney diseases, poor prospects
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| Urinating; it is something we do every day but never stop to ask ourselves why we do it or how it works. Urinating is vitally important and is the result of the work of the kidneys, which remove waste products from the blood. The kidneys have other essential functions. For example they recover water and important salts for the body, regulate our blood pressure and manufacture the well-known substance from the athlete’s world, EPO, which provides for the production of red blood cells. If the kidneys incur damage, they may become inflamed and may even change into a type of scar tissue. As a result, they can no longer do their job, which causes life-threatening situations. In order to survive, the patient ultimately relies on haemodialysis or, if there are no other options, kidney transplantation. These interventions are expensive and very burdensome for people; a ‘normal’ life is virtually impossible. Kidney diseases usually result from high blood pressure or cardiovascular problems and are therefore on the rise. |
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© BMM / Rogier Trompert Medical Art
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Effective on site
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| This research focuses on the development of a ‘smart’ polymer that contains medicines. For example, this curing material could be introduced under the peri-renal capsule. It would not have to find its way through the body itself and could immediately penetrate into the inflamed kidney tissue and do its job there. If it would also succeed in gradually releasing these medicines in the kidney tissue in the right dosages, we would have an extremely efficient therapy. It is expected that this new polymer could put an end to the disease at an early stage, thereby preventing the development of chronic kidney failure and the need for haemodialysis and kidney transplantation. |
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Partners
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The following companies and institutes work together to make a success of DESIRE:
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Publications
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Contact
BioMedical Materials
Urmonderbaan 20/A
NL-6167 RD GELEEN
NETHERLANDS
T +31 (46) 702 2280
E info@bmm-program.nl
Last updated on 2012-08-13