Pioneering research by the University of Leicester into chronic kidney disease has received a £4 million boost

The Stoneygate Trust and the University of Leicester are providing significant funding to turbocharge a number of key kidney research initiatives by renal experts.

The initiatives aim to translate research findings into clinical care for patients with chronic kidney disease and include:

• A review of how well kidney units across the UK have implemented national guidelines for the care of patients with chronic kidney disease

• Revision of the digital health and lifestyle programme ‘My Kidneys & Me’ to better address the needs of patients including those with reduced health literacy and from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and to roll out the programme for clinical use in primary and secondary care

• Development and testing of holistic lifestyle interventions to improve the health and wellbeing for patients with kidney failure on dialysis

• Support of laboratory studies looking at the relationships between muscle wasting and heart disease in patients with chronic kidney disease

Dr Matthew Graham-Brown, associate professor of renal medicine and consultant nephrologist in the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, who is leading on the work, said: “Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) affects approximately 7.2 million people in the UK alone. Our work here in Leicester aims to ensure that patients of all backgrounds have access to high quality resources that can effectively support clinical care, particularly empowering patients to be more engaged with their healthcare. 

“This is transformational funding and means vital work we have completed as part of the kidney lifestyle research programme, thanks also to funding from the Stoneygate Trust, can move into clinical practice, improving and supporting the lives of patients with chronic kidney disease.

“The continued support from the Trust is invaluable. This new funding will accelerate the impact our research is already having on clinical care, but crucially will help us support others in understanding how to translate research findings into clinical practice effectively, reducing the delays in patients getting access to new treatments and therapies.” 

The Stoneygate Trust is a charity established in 2007 by Sir Will and Lady Nadine Adderley, with a particular focus on medical research and education. It has been donating funds to the University’s Kidney Disease research since 2011, alongside its generous support of student awards and the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare.

Professor Philip Baker, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise at the University of Leicester, added: “This generous gift will enable us to invest in the vital science required to move kidney research forward into clinical settings so that it can make a real difference to patients’ outcomes here and across the globe.