Healthcare (Commonwealth Union) – In a pioneering achievement, Canadian researchers at CRCHUM—the hospital-based research institute affiliated with the Université de Montréal—have discovered a microRNA capable of protecting tiny blood vessels and aiding kidney function following serious damage.
This scientific breakthrough could play a crucial role in improving early detection and prevention strategies for chronic kidney disease, which affects over four million people in Canada and many more worldwide.
Up until now, there was no reliable biomarker available to assess the condition of these small blood vessels or to guide targeted interventions to maintain kidney health.
In findings published last Thursday in JCI Insight, the CRCHUM team identified the microRNA miR-423-5p as a potential blood-based indicator for monitoring the microvascular condition of the kidneys.
University of Montreal medical professors Marie-Josée Hébert and Héloïse Cardinal, who hold the Shire Chair in Nephrology, Renal Transplantation, and Regeneration, collaborated on the study alongside Francis Migneault, a research associate in Hébert’s lab.
Their research focuses on the deterioration of peritubular capillaries—tiny blood vessels whose loss is a definitive sign of chronic kidney disease.
These microscopic vessels, found in the kidneys, are essential for filtering waste from the blood and delivering oxygen and nutrients that support kidney function.
When the kidneys experience damage due to a temporary halt and subsequent return of blood flow, the number of these capillaries can decline, significantly impairing the organ’s performance.
Hébert, a nephrology-transplant specialist and outgoing vice-rector of research, discovery, creation, and innovation at UdeM pointed out that in transplant recipients, severely impaired kidney function can jeopardize the survival of the organ.
She further indicated that this biomarker could lead to the development of a test to assess the condition of small blood vessels much earlier and stated that tt would help hospital doctors more accurately evaluate microvascular health in patients at higher risk.
“These could include elderly patients or those undergoing surgeries during which blood flow is temporarily stopped, as is the case for organ transplants or cardiovascular interventions.”
It was initially observed that changing levels of the microRNA miR-423-5p in the blood of mice with acute kidney injury by Migneault, the study’s lead author who then confirmed these findings in 51 transplant recipients from the CHUM kidney transplant biobank.
Thanks to this biomarker, medical teams were able to verify whether their treatments enhance or impair the health of tiny blood vessels.
Migneault indicated however that the truly remarkable part is that by administering this microRNA to mice suffering from kidney injuries, they managed to preserve the small blood vessels and reduce the kidney damage.
Although directly injecting into the kidney is a practical approach during transplantation to safeguard the remaining small vessels, researchers at CRCHUM are now concentrating on other delivery methods to transport the microRNA—or possibly a combination of microRNAs—to the kidney.
The researchers pointed out that in terms of prevention purposes, a test utilizing the miR-423-5p microRNA could prove valuable for patients experiencing heart failure, lung failure, or specific neurodegenerative disorders.
“For these medical conditions, the loss of small blood vessels plays a key role, because of the association with normal or accelerated aging,” added Hébert. “Our discovery could, therefore, have a significant impact on the health of all Canadians.”
For individuals experiencing respiratory failure, multiple research studies are currently underway led by Emmanuelle Brochiero, a scientist and leader of the Immunopathology research program at the CRCHUM.
Additionally, Hébert noted that by utilizing the CHUM’s biobank of biological samples, it might be possible to investigate whether medications commonly given after kidney transplants for other conditions have an effect on the health of small blood vessels.
