Irish Kidney Gene Project Biobank

In partnership with Beaumont Hospital Department of Nephrology, RCSI has developed a biobank of blood, DNA and kidney tissue.

Samples of blood are drawn from patients attending renal clinics and who have been seen as part of the Irish Kidney Gene Project ( IKKGP). The IKGP is a project established to attempt to provide a molecular diagnosis to patients attending renal clinics with evidence of kidney disease. Patients who agree to participate donate a blood and/or a urine sample to facilitate sequencing of DNA, RNA and to measure other substances in the body that can be associated with kidney disease. Sometimes patients provide samples using nose or mouth (sputum) swabs. In addition to blood, urine and sputum samples we also collect tissue samples from patients that are undergoing either a percutaneous kidney biopsy of a kidney or removal of a kidney for clinical reasons. Analysing these samples allow us to determine a lot about the underlying type of kidney disease.

The collected tissue samples allow our group to identify the precise type of kidney disease affecting patients attending the renal clinic. In many cases we have identified new genes casing kidney disease and identified important factors influencing their prognosis.

Based on these observations we are now working towards converting these discoveries into new therapies.

Since the foundation of the first renal biobank at RCSI in 2019, we have relied on the financial support of different funders including the Higher Education Authority (under the PRTLI scheme), the Health Research Board, Irish Kidney Association, and Beaumont Foundation.

Contact

For information about donating/participating in research please contact:

Dr Elhussein Elhassan, Research fellow, Irish Kidney Gene Project

Prof. Peter J Conlon, Consultant Nephrologist, Beaumont Hospital