Medical research at the aimed at preventing kidney disease in children is being recognized with a prestigious grant by the . The , presented to researcher Ben Fogelgren, is worth $150,000 over the next two years.
This is the first time a Â鶹´«Ã½ investigator has won the award.
“I have always loved science, but am thrilled to be able to focus on research that can be translated into new therapies and diagnostics for patients,” said Fogelgren, an assistant professor of anatomy, biochemistry and physiology.
Â鶹´«Ã½’s population has a 30 percent higher chance of suffering from kidney failure than the national average, according to the . Starter scholar awards are designed for young scientists at the beginning of their independent careers and help support basic research. Fogelgren’s research is dedicated to prevent kidney diseases in children by seeking ways to improve the ability to diagnose and predict disease progression as well as to expand available treatment options.
“Throughout my career I have been particularly driven to fight diseases affecting children, so I am overjoyed to receive this award from the March of Dimes. They have been at the forefront in the fight against child suffering for 70 years,” said Fogelgren.
About Fogelgren’s research
The leading causes of kidney disease in children and infants are urinary tract obstructions that are developed while the unborn baby is still in the womb. These blockages lead to hydronephrosis, swelling of the kidneys, which is also the most common prenatal abnormality detected by ultrasound. It can cause highly inconsistent and unpredictable damage to the kidneys so it is difficult to decide when surgery is needed.
The causes of these birth defects are largely unknown and for the longest time, there have been no scientific tools to study this disease. In the last two years, Fogelgren and his research team of several UH Mānoa students and a postdoctoral trainee have created a unique mouse model that consistently forms a blockage between the kidney and bladder, within a womb, and leads to severe swelling and kidney damage.
They are hopeful that this study will advance to a better understanding of human urinary obstructions and to the discovery of new treatments and diagnostic tools for this pediatric disease.
—By Tina Shelton