Nephrology and Hypertension in Minnesota

Research

The Division of Nephrology and Hypertension has both laboratory-based and clinical-based research programs that are supported by funds from the National Institute of Health, industry and intramural sources. In addition, the Division has had a National Institutes of Health sponsored research training program since 1975 with the goal of preparing scientists for a career in academic Nephrology/Hypertension and basic renal sciences.

The Division also sponsors innovative programs for both patient-oriented clinical and basic science researchers. Collaborative clinical and research efforts are ongoing with renal pathologists, renal radiologists, urologists and the Mayo Clinic Transplant Center.

Read more about the research in Nephrology and Hypertension on our research Web site.

Mayo Nephrology Collaborative Group

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Since 1988, the Mayo Nephrology Collaborative Group (MNCG) has developed and conducted studies aimed at improving treatment of patients with renal parenchymal diseases.

The consortium currently consists of 83 clinical and academic nephrologists at 31 study sites in 17 states.

Completed studies include:

• A randomized clinical trial testing the efficacy of fish oil in patients with IgA nephropathy who had persistent proteinuria. This study showed that treatment with fish oil for two years retarded the rate at which renal function is lost. (Donadio et al., New England Journal of Medicine 331:1194-1199, 1994).
  
  
• A multivariate analysis to identify histopathologic and clinical features that most accurately predict adverse outcome from a data set of patients with IgA nephropathy. This study provided a rational basis for the inclusion of composite histopathologic scores in therapeutic interventional studies of patients with IgA nephropathy and other glomerular disorders (Radford et al., Journal of the American Society of Nephrology 8:199-207, 1997).
  
  
• A trial of an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor versus a calcium channel antagonist in patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy (Donadio et al., Journal of the American Society of Nephrology 8:85A, 1997).

To learn more about current collaborative projects and clinical trials, see the collaborative's Web pages on www.mayo.edu:
www.mayo.edu/research/mncg/.