Projects for which funding is currently being sought:
A Confocal Microscope for Kidney Research
The London Epithelial Group, in the Centre for Nephrology at UCL Medical School, aims at identifying rare and common genetic causes of diseases of the urinary tract in children and adults, utilising advanced genetic and cell biological methods. Being able to examine the various different types of cells in the urinary tract in detail is an important area of their research, and a very high resolution microscope - known as a confocal microscope - that is able to provide information about these miniscule objects is vital for such work.
Transport of salt in the body is very important in relation to blood pressure and its regulation. A confocal microscope could show the researchers where certain systems in the kidney important for the transport and regulation of salt levels are sited. For example, are they at the urine side of the cell, or the blood side within the kidney tubules? This knowledge would help in understanding the intended effects and side effects of drugs used in treatment of hypertension and kidney failure.
Cells are made up of many different parts, and several diseases are caused by certain elements being in the wrong place within the cell. In order to be able to identify such minute cellular parts a very high resolution confocal microscope is required. This is most important for understanding what is going wrong, how the situation might have arisen and, finally, for producing ways of providing a cure.
Confocal microscopes work with lasers that make it possible to identify several targets of interest at the same time. This again helps in understanding what is faulty within the cells and in testing the therapies that are developed as a consequence.
Inevitably, such an advanced and powerful microscope has a high price - in this case £130,000. But the Trustees are convinced that such equipment is needed by the research staff in the Centre for Nephrology if further significant progress is to be made. The group has sufficient space and the necessary expertise to operate and maintain such a sophisticated instrument, and it would be used for projects being undertaken by some fourteen staff members and ten postgraduate students.
It is a very worthwhile cause, but a lot of money to find. The Trust has already raised £20,000 towards the target of £130,000. Any help you can give towards funding this important piece of equipment would be most gratefully received.
Bladder cancer treatment
Prof. Kelly is a surgeon-oncologist at UCL Medical School and UCLH, leading clinical and research groups investigating new diagnostic methods, surgical treatments and therapies for bladder cancer. In this project he and his research fellow, Dr. Gurung, in collaboration with Prof. Masters, will be testing the functional significance and clinical application of a particular gene(labelled EEF1E1) that is understood to act as a tumour suppressor, to assess its value as a marker for the detection and surveillance of the disease. Bladder cancer is the second most common urological malignancy after prostate cancer in the UK; accounting for some 11,000 new cases and 5.000 deaths annually. In its aggressive and advanced forms the disease is associated with many genetic and gene-related changes in the affected tissue. If it can be shown that a biomarker, or a group of them, can reliably detect bladder cancer cells in the patient’s urine, this would avoid the need for cystoscopy, which is an invasive and expensive diagnostic procedure and one that carries some risks.
St. Peter’s Trust has managed to provide £30,000 towards the cost of this research, but a further £4,000 still needs to be raised to cover the laboratory expenses in full. The Trust is therefore seeking this sum from from its loyal supporters in order to allow this very worthy project to be completed.
Genetics
A group of patients with unique teeth and kidney problems has been identified by the research team led by Prof Kleta and Prof. Unwin and Dr. Zdebik. These problems are caused by a gene defect that it is important to investigate, because understanding what went wrong in these patients will provide insights into how calcium is handled by the body - both in the teeth (where their strength is determined by this gene’s function) and the kidneys (where it can be involved in stone formation). Again, the Trust has been able to provide a large part of the funding required - £27,000 - but still needs to raise a further £3,000 towards the running costs of this intriguing project.
Kidney transplantation
Transplantation is an excellent treatment for kidney failure in terms of both quality and length of life. But it can be adversely affected by the body’s reaction to the introduced tissue, which will lead to loss of the new organ unless immunosuppressive drugs are used. Long term use of such drugs creates additional complications. Dr. Salama has recently joined UCL Medical School as a Reader in Nephrology and he has extensive experience in research on vasculitis and kidney function. This project seeks to investigate the function and importance of a specific protein, called mannose receptor, found on a set of white blood cells and which it may prove possible to utilise to prevent rejection without the need to increase the degree of immunosuppression being undertaken.
The Trust has agreed to provide £31,000 for this work, but was unable to fund it in full. A further £3,500 needs to be found and any help from our supporters towards meeting this target would be most gratefully received.