Our research
For many years, we have been studying the pathogenesis and disease progression of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and IgA vasculitis with renal involvement (IgAVN), and have built up one of Europe’s largest patient cohorts with clinical follow-up data spanning several decades. International collaborations have been established in both Europe and the USA.
Together with the Departments of Nephrology and Rheumatology at Karolinska University Hospital, we have, since 1994, built up a biobank collection comprising blood, urine and tissue samples from all patients who have undergone a renal biopsy, with various underlying diagnoses, as well as follow-up samples from patients with IgAN and IgA vasculitis with renal involvement.
We launched a similar sample collection and registry at the Department of Nephrology, Danderyd, in 2019. We are investigating inflammatory markers in blood, urine, at the cellular level and in kidney tissue that may be relevant to pathogenesis and disease progression in IgAN and other forms of glomerulonephritis. In collaboration with KTH, we are further developing advanced three-dimensional imaging diagnostics of kidney tissue, in which histological changes at the nanoscale are quantified using artificial intelligence.
Together with other research groups in Sweden, we are studying the epidemiology, treatment outcomes and burden of disease associated with chronic kidney diseases at a national level. Close collaboration with the departments of Clinical Immunology and Chemistry, as well as participation in international expert groups, facilitates the implementation of our own and others’ research findings into clinical practice.