​Our research portfolio focuses on several aspects of kidney disease prevention. Kidney disease prevention science must include evaluation of strategies to detect kidney disease before it is established, as well as investigation of strategies to treat established kidney disease. Our conceptual model is presented below.

Primary prevention of kidney disease focuses on avoiding onset of disease. At KHRC, we have established expertise in the evaluation of novel biomarkers in urine and blood for detection of early kidney damage and kidney injury, before chronic kidney disease is established. We are currently investigating whether we can measure specific proteins in the urine in order to quantify and localize damage within the kidney. We describe this approach as "the non-invasive biopsy" of the kidney. This approach will lead to novel methods for detecting adverse effects and for predicting risk for onset and progression of kidney disease. We are also applying state of art modeling techniques to identify risk factors associated with very early declines in kidney function.

Secondary prevention of kidney disease focuses on identifying disease at early stages, in order to institute appropriate management strategies. We have developed a "triple-marker" testing strategy to identify persons at highest risk for chronic kidney disease complications. Applying lessons from our prior work, we are conducting the first randomized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of screening for kidney disease among adults with hypertension.

Tertiary prevention of kidney disease focuses on strategies that attempt to reduce the burden of established, advanced disease. At KHRC, we are developing an understanding of the mechanisms that may explain the high cardiovascular risk for persons with end stage renal disease. Our team is also building a large cohort of transplant recipients in order to understand determinants of adverse events in this population.