Research at KaroKidney
KaroKidney is a collaboration between researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital. Here you can read about our research projects.
Research Projects
What is good for the planet is also good for your health
We focus on research in renal medicine, chronic kidney disease and kidney failure, its complications such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic alterations, malnutrition and inflammation, and its treatment including dialysis therapies, especially peritoneal dialysis.
The work on early vascular aging (EVA) focuses on how chronic kidney disease (CKD), inflammation, oxidative stress, and metabolic disturbances accelerate biological aging of the vascular system.
Patients with CKD exhibit premature vascular calcification and endothelial dysfunction, resembling the vascular phenotype of much older individuals. The basis for the studies include prospective studies of incident dialysis patients and CKD5 patients undergoing living donor transplantation. Biopsies of arteries, muscles and fat are collected for detailed studies.
Key aspects of the research include: Malnutrition-inflammation-atherosclerosis (MIA) syndrome - a triad as a major driver of early vascular aging and mortality in CKD. The studies demonstrated how accumulation of toxins and oxidative damage promote vascular stiffness and calcification and explored how evolutionary trade-offs - such as mechanisms once advantageous for survival - may now predispose humans to vascular aging under modern conditions. The studies highlight the roles of fetuin-A, Nrf2, senescence, klotho, somatic mutations and inflammation-related microRNAs as possible therapeutic targets for EVA.
Key papers
- Hobson S, et al. Accelerated vascular ageing in chronic kidney disease: the potential for novel therapies. Circ Res. 2023;132(8):950-969.
- Revêchon G, et al. Recurrent somatic mutation and progerin expression in early vascular aging of chronic kidney disease. Nat Aging. 2025;5(6):1046-1062.
