London, April 13 (Inditop.com) An international team of scientists have identified 20 new genes which could one day “revolutionise” the treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD).
The genes identified control kidney functions such as filtering waste from the blood.
During the study, researchers looked at the genes of nearly 70,000 people across Europe and found 13 new genes that influence renal function and seven others that affect the production and secretion of creatinine – a chemical waste molecule that is generated from muscle metabolism and filtered through the kidneys.
“This work could revolutionise the treatment of kidney disease in the future – but this will take some time,” bbc.co.uk quoted Dr Jim Wilson, a geneticist at the University of Edinburgh who worked on the study, as saying.
“It’s a very critical first step towards a completely new understanding of the biology behind CKD. Transferring what we’ve found into clinical benefits will take some years,” he added.
Charles Kernahan, chief executive of the charity Kidney Research UK, said “These are still early days but it is truly a great breakthrough.
“No-one knows who will be affected or when kidney disease may strike next, so even more research needs to be funded to help us tackle this challenge.”
