Kids Kidney Research

Abnormal fluid filled cysts destroy normal kidney structure in polycystic kidney disease (PKD), leading to kidney failure in both children and adults. New therapies have been developed for PKD, ranging from very simple ones such as greatly increasing fluid intake through to new drug treatments. Some of these may be impractical or too toxic for young children. An alternative strategy could be to target blood vessels which provide ‘general support’ for cyst growth. This study will examine the role of factors which control blood vessel formation and function in PKD and may identify important new treatments for PKD in children.

 UPDATE MAY 2011

Jennifer Huang is a PhD student supported by Kids Kidney Research based at the UCL Institute of Child Health under the supervision of Dr. David Long, Dr. Paul Winyard and Professor Adrian Woolf. Her research focuses on developing novel therapies for polycystic kidney disease which leads to kidney failure in children and adults. New therapies have been developed for this condition, ranging from very simple ones such as greatly increasing fluid intake through to new drug treatments. Some of these may be impractical or too toxic for young children. Therefore, Jennifer is taking a new approach by targeting blood vessels which provide ‘general support’ for cyst growth. In the first year of her PhD, she has identified that genes which control the formation of these blood
vessels altered in polycystic kidney disease and is currently investigating the functional significance of these findings; it is hoped that targeting these pathways may slow down disease progression.