AKF fellowship to support new research into PH in kidney disease
American Kidney Fund awardee hopes work will aid in early identification
The American Kidney Fund (AKF) has awarded an early-career fellowship that will support new research aiming to understand how pulmonary hypertension (PH) develops in people with chronic kidney disease.
The project will be led by Marcelle Tuttle, MD, a first-year fellow at the Tufts Medical Center division of nephrology, who is one of this year’s recipients in the AKF’s Clinical Scientist in Nephrology Program. Nephrology is an internal medicine specialty focusing on the treatment of diseases that affect the kidneys.
“Pulmonary hypertension is a common and underrecognized issue for patients with chronic kidney disease,” Tuttle said in a press release from the AKF.
“Through this study, I plan to identify new risk factors for pulmonary hypertension in patients with chronic kidney disease,” Tuttle said.
1 of 2 fellowships will support new research by doctor at Tufts
Pulmonary hypertension is defined by excessively high blood pressure in the vessels that carry blood to the lungs, putting strain on the heart.
While PH generally is rare — affecting about one of every 100 people in the general population — it’s much more common among people with chronic, or long-lasting, kidney disease. According to the AKF, more than 1 in 5 people with chronic kidney disease also have pulmonary hypertension.
Tuttle’s project aims to analyze data from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study of patients with kidney health issues to try to better understand which chronic kidney disease patients are at greatest risk of developing PH.
I am extraordinarily grateful to the AKF for this opportunity and hope that this study will lead to earlier identification of pulmonary hypertension in CKD [chronic kidney disease] patients and potentially new treatments targeted towards the CKD population.
The researcher also hopes to clarify whether high blood pressure in the lungs is associated with a greater risk of kidney impairment, kidney transplant, or cardiovascular problems in these patients.
“I am extraordinarily grateful to the AKF for this opportunity and hope that this study will lead to earlier identification of pulmonary hypertension in CKD [chronic kidney disease] patients and potentially new treatments targeted towards the CKD population,” Tuttle said.
Tuttle is one of two early-career physicians whose research is being funded by the AKF through this year’s fellowship program — an award given by the nonprofit to promote research into kidney health.
The other awardee this year is Kavita Mistry, MD, PhD, a nephrology fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, who is leading a project aiming to better understand how to tackle kidney inflammation that can occur as a side effect of certain modern cancer therapies.
“The American Kidney Fund is proud to have Dr. Mistry and Dr. Tuttle join the ranks of prestigious researchers in our Clinical Scientist in Nephrology program,” said LaVarne A. Burton, president and CEO of the AKF. “We look forward to seeing the positive impact of their research, which will help kidney patients who are facing additional health challenges like cancer and pulmonary hypertension.”
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