idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Nachrichten, Termine, Experten

Grafik: idw-Logo
Grafik: idw-Logo

idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft

Science Video Project
idw-Abo

idw-News App:

AppStore

Google Play Store



Instance:
Share on: 
05/15/2009 09:00

3D Kidney Atlas Created for Researchers and Physicians

Barbara Bachtler Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Max-Delbrück-Centrum für Molekulare Medizin (MDC) Berlin-Buch

    Renal diseases shall be diagnosed earlier and treated more successfully in the future. Towards this aim, researchers from nine European countries*, coordinated by the Max Delbrück Center (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany, have been working for the past four-and-a half years to create a three-dimensional virtual "Kidney Atlas". It incorporates the latest research findings on the development and diseases of the kidney. The Kidney Atlas was part of the European Renal Genome Project (EuReGene), which the European Union (EU) funded with more than 10 million euros. At the conclusion of the project, the Kidney Atlas was presented at MDC during a two-day symposium from May 15-16, 2009.

    In Europe, about 4.5 million people suffer from renal disease. The elderly are disproportionately affected, as the disease frequently develops as a consequence of hypertension and diabetes. However, renal disease is a condition that also affects children, who are often born with congenital renal anomalies.

    In particular, the increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes has caused a rise in the number of renal patients. Loss of kidney function is among the most common causes of death in the Western world. About 20 percent of affected patients die from the disease each year.

    Information for the general public
    While the primary aim of the Kidney Atlas is to map genes that play a key role in renal diseases, it also contains other data, for example on anatomy. Directed towards both basic researchers and clinicians, the Kidney Atlas also contains information for the general public.

    The Atlas is based upon various Genome Projects. The scientists involved in creating the Atlas were pathologists, developmental and molecular biologists as well as geneticists from 14 research groups from non-university institutions, universities and six university clinics.

    According to the project coordinator, Professor Thomas Willnow (MDC), the Kidney Atlas will also be of great significance for the research of metabolic disorders which lead to kidney damage such as diabetes.

    EUNEFRON follow-up project - renal diseases in children
    The Kidney Atlas will now be continued with the EUNEFRON project, which focuses on renal diseases in childhood.

    The project coordinator is Professor Olivier Devuyst of the Université catholique de Louvain Medical School, Brussels, Belgium. The project manager, as with the Kidney Atlas, is Dr. Iwan Meij of MDC.
    * Belgium, Denmark, Germany, England, Finland, France, Italy, Poland, Switzerland

    Barbara Bachtler
    Press and Public Affairs
    Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch
    Robert-Rössle-Straße 10
    13125 Berlin, Germany
    Phone: +49 (0) 30 94 06 - 38 96
    Fax: +49 (0) 30 94 06 - 38 33
    e-mail: presse@mdc-berlin.de
    http://www.mdc-berlin.de/


    More information:

    http://www.euregene.org/
    http://www.euregene.org/euregene/pages/public_science_info_d.htm
    http://www.eunefron.org/
    http://www.mdc-berlin.de/en/news/2006/20060203-researchers_want_to_create_kidney...
    http://health.nih.gov/


    Images

    Criteria of this press release:
    Biology, Chemistry, Medicine
    transregional, national
    Research projects, Scientific conferences
    English


     

    Help

    Search / advanced search of the idw archives
    Combination of search terms

    You can combine search terms with and, or and/or not, e.g. Philo not logy.

    Brackets

    You can use brackets to separate combinations from each other, e.g. (Philo not logy) or (Psycho and logy).

    Phrases

    Coherent groups of words will be located as complete phrases if you put them into quotation marks, e.g. “Federal Republic of Germany”.

    Selection criteria

    You can also use the advanced search without entering search terms. It will then follow the criteria you have selected (e.g. country or subject area).

    If you have not selected any criteria in a given category, the entire category will be searched (e.g. all subject areas or all countries).