Research
From the time of inception, the division of nephrology has led the field with innovation and discovery. Work done in the early years made long-term outpatient dialysis for kidney failure a reality. Subsequently, under the leadership of Dr. William Couser, UW became the first academic division to focus on understanding the pathogenesis of kidney diseases, particularly immune-mediated glomerular diseases, instead of renal physiology.
Dr. Stuart Shankland further cemented the research credentials of the division with the establishment of the Kidney Research Institute in 2008 with generous support from the Northwest Kidney Centers under the stewardship of the organization’s CEO, Joyce Jackson.
Today, the divisional faculty lead a large and diverse research portfolio that is advancing our understanding of kidney diseases through laboratory research and clinical research that includes translational studies, qualitative research, cohort studies, and clinical trials.
Leadership
Ian de Boer, MD, MS
Professor
Director of Research, Nephrology
Director, Kidney Research Institute
deboer@uw.edu
Jonathan Himmelfarb, MD
Professor
Director, Center for Dialysis Innovation
Director, Kidney Precision Medicine Project
himmej@uw.edu
Leila Zelnick, PhD
Research Associate Professor
Director of Biostatistics, Kidney Research Institute
lzelnick@uw.edu
Interdisciplinary Research
We collaborate and partner with many complementary fields. They include bioengineering, pharmaceutics, immunology, pathology, public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, health care services, and more. Each serves as a component of the foundation for our comprehensive approach to treating kidney diseases and accompanying complications.
funded research
Nephrology faculty are funded by individual grants as well as major program project grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), numerous other government and non-governmental entities, and foundations.
Many of our junior faculty members have career development grants (NIH K-awards), and we have a strong record of transitioning to independent NIH R01 awards.
In recent academic years, 80% of all submitted proposals were funded. We are proud to have had an active NIH T-32 training grant in the Division for over 20 years, with a new grant underway.
Research Advancements
Through research funding and innovation, we are able to advance the field of kidney health and transform lives.
Kidney on a chip
The Kidney Research Institute (KRI) has engineered a kidney tissue chip to predict drug safety. The aim is to design human tissue chips that replicate human organs in order to test drugs in their early stages to see if they will cause complications to the organs.
Backpack-size artificial kidney
Dr. Jonathan Himmelfarb and 30-some people are working on the Center for Dialysis Innovation’s prototype artificial kidney, a device intended to free patients from thrice-weekly, hours-long visits to dialysis centers. The Artificial Kidney was granted Expedited Access Pathway status by the FDA, after the device performed successfully in its first U.S. clinical trial at UWMC. This is one of the first innovations in dialysis technology in decades and it has enormous potential to change patients’ quality of life.
Lab-engineered kidney disease
Dr. Jonathan Himmelfarb and 30-some people are working on the Center for Dialysis Innovation’s prototype artificial kidney, a device intended to free patients from thrice-weekly, hours-long visits to dialysis centers. The Artificial Kidney was granted Expedited Access Pathway status by the FDA, after the device performed successfully in its first U.S. clinical trial at UWMC. This is one of the first innovations in dialysis technology in decades and it has enormous potential to change patients’ quality of life.
UW Nephrology Women in Research
Publications
Published Research
Our faculty consistently publish new research in nationally recognized journals.
A history of innovation
The first Scribner Shunt was successfully used on a dialysis patient in 1960, paving the way for patient survival rates in kidney disease.
Seattle has long been the place for kidney research. In 1960, Dr. Belding H. Scribner, the first division head of nephrology at the University of Washington, and his colleagues developed a blood access device for hemodialysis called the Scribner Shunt, providing a lifeline for patients with kidney failure.
The shunt allowed patients to receive life-saving dialysis on a long-term basis, changing kidney failure from a death sentence to a treatable condition. Dr. Scribner subsequently founded Northwest Kidney Centers, the first outpatient dialysis program in the world, and made Seattle an international center for advances in kidney disease.
research support
Kidney Research Support Fund
The future of kidney care is dependent upon a robust research program. Invest in the future by helping to provide critical resources for nephrology research.