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news.Researchers have identified a novel human kidney protein, called renalase, that could prove a strong candidate for easily administered treatment of advanced kidney and cardiovascular disease.
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Researchers at Yale School of Medicine and the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven, Connecticut discovered the protein, which regulates both heart contraction and blood pressure.
Renalase is secreted by the kidneys and circulates freely in the bloodstream. Patients with kidney disease have very low levels of renalase, suggesting that its absence may lead to the cardiovascular complications found in end-stage renal disease (ESRD).
“This is one of the most exciting findings of kidney metabolism in recent years,” said Dr Jianchao Xu, associate research scientist, attending physician and lead author. “It has immediate implications for therapy.”
Like erythropoietin (EPO), a synthetic version of which is marketed as Epogen by Amgen, the human renalase protein could be injected to replace what is lost in kidney disease.