Novel Biomarker and Therapeutic Target for Chronic Kidney Disease in Dogs

The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine is currently recruiting dogs with chronic kidney disease for a clinical trial evaluating a new potential renal biomarker.

Enrollment Status: Currently Enrolling

• Inclusion Criteria
  • Dogs diagnosed with IRIS Stage II-IV chronic kidney disease
    • Based on elevated serum creatinine (>1.4 mg/dL) or SDMA (>18 μg/dL) and lack of appropriate urine concentration (<1.045) on at least two occasions in a stable (< 25% change between measurements) well-hydrated patient.
  • Dogs must be willing to eat the renal study diet (Purina NF -dry)

• Exclusion Criteria
  • Dogs < 1 year of age
  • Dogs with evidence of lower urinary tract infection based on urinalysis or urine culture
  • Dogs that are receiving alkaline therapy (sodium bicarbonate or potassium citrate), potassium-sparing diuretics, or steroids

• Procedures/Treatment:
  • Your dog will be seen for 4 study visits after enrollment in this study. These visits will occur approximately every 3 months for one year.
  • At study enrollment your pet will have a physical examination, blood and urine collected either via free catch or cystocentesis (small needle inserted through the skin into the bladder) to fully stage your pets’ stage of kidney disease.
    • This testing will include: a renal biochemistry panel, packed cell volume and total protein (PCV/TP) to assess for anemia, urinalysis, urine protein-to-creatinine ratio, and blood pressure measurement.
  • At each study visit after enrollment your pet will have blood and urine collected to monitor for progression of kidney disease and measurement of this new urine biomarker for kidney disease (ammonia-to-creatinine ratio).
• Costs:
  • The study will cover the cost of:
    • Study Enrollment Visit: blood and urine collection for a renal biochemistry panel, PCV/TP, urinalysis, urine protein-to-creatinine ratio, and blood pressure measurement.
    • Follow up Study Visits (4 total): blood collection for a renal biochemistry panel.
    • Study Renal Diet (Purina NF Dry) for 1 year

• Contact: Please email VM-clinicalstudies@ufl.edu or call Clinical Studies at 352-294-4389 if you are interested in learning more. Study Interest Form

• Study Investigators: Drs. Autumn N. Harris, Andrew Specht, and Kirsten Cooke
• Background: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is defined as the presence of functional abnormalities in one or both kidneys over a prolonged period of time. Serum creatinine is currently used as a marker of kidney function, but it cannot detect early changes in kidney function. Detecting CKD early has significant importance because early treatment could slow the rate of disease progression, improve the patient’s quality of life and prolong survival times. In addition, early detection of kidney disease will give us the best chance to identify the underlying cause to target our treatment better. There is a critical need for us to identify biomarkers of kidney function that can be used to diagnose early kidney disease. This proposed research project aims to characterize a new biomarker for kidney disease that will hopefully allow us to predict outcomes and/or therapeutic responses.

Funding for the research is provided through the efforts and generosity of the AKC Canine Health Foundation.