Contribution of bone marrow-derived cells to renal fibrosis and elucidation of cell signalling mechanisms

Funding Activity

Website
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/436770

Funding Status
Closed

Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the .

Funded Activity Summary

This study investigates the contribution of bone marrow-derived adult stem cells to the development of renal scarring, an important process proceeding to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). There is increasing evidence demonstrating that bone marrow (BM)-derived cells can transform into renal cells and participate in the repair of damaged renal blood vessels. Our recent study demonstrated BM-derived stem cells can also transform to renal myofibroblasts, the major cell type that contributes to the development of kidney scarring. This suggests that BM-derived adult stem cells have dual roles: to repair or worsen the development of renal scarring. The present study investigates this adult stem cell's transformation and explores the potential measures to enhance the benefits and to block the harmful roles from these adult stem cells. The importance of BM-derived stem cells in the repair of damaged kidney will be determined and thus will provide preliminary insights into the future utilization of BM-derived stem cells in the treatment of chronic renal disease. Understanding the dual roles of BM-derived stem cells in experimental renal scarring, will lead us to question our current thinking and approaches to the treatment and management of renal fibrosis, and perhaps fibrosis in other organs. Evidence of two opposite roles which BM-derived adult stem cells play in the process of renal scarring may be helpful not only for the design of novel therapies to prevent or retard the progression of renal fibrosis, but also for manipulating adult stem cells for the treatment of renal disease.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2007

End Date: 01-01-2009

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $427,703.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Nephrology and Urology

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

bone marrow | cell signalling | end-stage renal disease | endothelial cells | endothelial damage | myofibroblast | renal failure | renal interstitial fibrosis | stem cells

Related Links