Looking forward to 2026
This year, we are excited to see the progress our funded researchers are making in transforming the lives of people affected by kidney disease.
We have spoken to some of these researchers to hear the latest updates on their projects; what they have achieved so far and what they are most looking forward to in the year ahead.
Dr Katie Mylonas
Dr Katie Mylonas, whose work at the University of Edinburgh is supported by a Kidney Research UK-Thompson Family Charitable Trust fellowship and is exploring how harmful senescent (ageing) cells affect kidney and heart disease. Here, she gives us an update on how her study is progressing.
Can you briefly describe the progress you’ve made in your research so far?
“I study harmful cells called “senescent cells” that accumulate in the kidney with ageing and disease and cause scarring. Our immune system usually helps to remove these cells but in ageing and disease, specific immune cells, called macrophages, are less able to clear senescent cells.
Work from my lab has found ways in which senescent cells can negatively affect the ability of macrophages to carry out basic functions, and crucially a way to reverse this. This work has just been submitted for publication and will hopefully be out in the next few months.”
Looking ahead to 2026, what are the next steps in your project, and what are you most excited about?
“A lot of people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) also have cardiovascular problems. This is known as cardiorenal syndrome. An important next step in my project is to investigate the role of senescent cells in cardiorenal disease. I am very excited to have a very talented team member start in my lab, Dr Samuele Di Carmine, who is very enthusiastic and motivated to work on this important issue.”
As your work continues, is there a particular area or focus that feels especially important or motivating for you?
“Actively speaking to and working with kidney patients has been very motivating for me. In Edinburgh, we regularly meet with a patient group to discuss our work and get their thoughts and inputs which is always very helpful.
Last year, a Masters student, called Maya Pruzek, worked for six months in the Mylonas lab. Maya is a kidney transplant recipient turned scientist who is very keen to find successful treatments, which is hugely inspiring for me. The work that she carried out in the lab is included in the publication mentioned above.”
As we enter 2026, what would you most like people living with kidney disease to feel hopeful about?
“I would like the people living with kidney disease to feel hopeful about the amount of fantastic research being carried out, including by people funded by Kidney Research UK, like myself. Technological advances are moving faster than ever which is helping scientists answer questions about kidney disease that just were not possible before. It is an exciting time!”
Dr Gabriel Doctor
Dr Gabriel Doctor from University College London is investigating the link between genetics and the immune system in the development of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. Here, he shares an update on the progress of his fellowship so far.
Can you briefly describe the progress you’ve made in your research so far?
“I am studying a rare kidney disease called nephrotic syndrome using genetic information. So far, I have compared genetic data from more than 1700 adults and children with the disease, to thousands of healthy people drawn from the UK Biobank. I have developed an inclusive approach that allows us to analyse genetic data of people from many genetic backgrounds, which is not always the case in genetic research. If a patient has contributed towards the data, they should count towards the results. This is especially true for rare diseases.”
Looking ahead to 2026, what are the next steps in your project, and what are you most excited about?
“Every genetic difference between patients and healthy people gives us a clue about why the disease happens. I am looking forward to working out where the clues are pointing!”
As your work continues, is there a particular area or focus that feels especially important or motivating for you?
“It is often young children who are affected by nephrotic syndrome and as a parent I think every day about how worrying such a diagnosis can be for the family, and how safer and more effective treatments would be welcomed. I also hope that the tools I have developed can be applied to study other rare kidney diseases, to shed further light.”
As we enter 2026, what would you most like people living with kidney disease to feel hopeful about?
“There is an incredible buzz in the kidney research community right now with new and promising treatments for rare kidney diseases like focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and IgA nephropathy. Collaboration and partnerships between researchers, industry and the clinic is beginning to make a real difference.”
Dr Elizabeth Wan
Dr Elizabeth Wan from University College London is studying how the body controls blood pressure, with the aim of finding better ways to treat related conditions. Here, she gives us an update on her work as she enters her final year of her PhD.
Can you briefly describe the progress you’ve made in your research so far?
“I have been exploring how the kidneys handle salt, by looking at how important proteins are controlled in the kidney tubule – these are tiny tubes in the kidney that control how much salt and water leave the body. We have also discovered an unexpected link between blood cholesterol levels and salt loss in the kidney.”
Looking ahead to 2026, what are the next steps in your project, and what are you most excited about?
“2026 is the final year of my PhD. I am looking forward to trying some more complex experiments, including using cells in a dish to mimic salt uptake in the kidney. I am most excited to visit an international conference (or two!) to share my findings with other researchers.”
As your work continues, is there a particular area or focus that feels especially important or motivating for you?
“Every week we have new patients referred to our specialist renal tubular clinic, and for some of them, even the experts struggle to understand what is causing their condition. This reminds me that our research work is so vital, because there is still so much that we do not know.”
As we enter 2026, what would you most like people living with kidney disease to feel hopeful about?
“Techniques and approaches in the research space are developing fast. While change can take time, these advances are laying the foundations for better treatments and improved care over the next decade.”
Dr Andrew Chetwynd
Dr Andrew Chetwynd whose work at the University of Liverpool is supported by a Kidney Research UK fellowship and is investigating whether the patterns of sugars on immune proteins can predict kidney damage. Here, he gives us an update on how his work is progressing.
Can you briefly describe the progress you’ve made in your research so far?
“A lot of progress has been made thus far in this fellowship. One of the key goals has almost been completed - the development of remote sampling methods to analyse proteins in people with kidney disease. This aspect of the project allows patient samples to be collected from home anywhere in the country (or world) and posted back for analysis. It enables more equitable access to participation in clinical research hopefully helping push away barriers that have limited participation historically. From just a tiny amount of blood we can reliably detect hundreds of proteins for biomarker discovery for improved diagnosis and treatment monitoring.
Alongside this we have developed methods to study the sugars (glycans) that attach to proteins and affect how they work. This helps us understand how these sugars may play a role in the worsening of autoimmune kidney disease; where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the kidneys.
Finally, we have also studied protein changes in children and adults with glomerulonephritis, with the goal to better understand the development and progression of kidney disease.”
Looking ahead to 2026, what are the next steps in your project, and what are you most excited about?
“The next major step is to use the sugar-analysis methods in studies involving children and adults with autoimmune kidney disease. We have everything in place, so it is now a matter of sitting down and performing the experiments. This is an exciting stage of the project because it will allow us to look more closely at these sugars and better understand their role in kidney disease.”
As your work continues, is there a particular area or focus that feels especially important or motivating for you?
“I think there is still a huge gap between the attention given to paediatric patients compared to adults. Whilst it is great that there are amazing treatments coming to adults with kidney disease it is important that we do not forget the children and young adults with kidney disease. By making basic science more age inclusive (among many other things), this would allow us to drag paediatric trials alongside adults for the benefit of all kidney patients.”
As we enter 2026, what would you most like people living with kidney disease to feel hopeful about?
“The huge investment in kidney research in the past few years and the huge amount of talented scientists and clinicians working to improve the health of people with kidney disease.”
Get our e-newsletter
Stay up to date with our kidney research news, events and ways to get involved.
Why not make a donation now?
Every £ counts towards transforming treatments for people living with kidney disease.