Dr Nasir Ali Shah1,2,3, A/Professor Sradha Kotwal1,2,3, Professor Martin Gallagher1,3,4
1School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 2Department of Nephrology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, Australia, 3The George Institute of Global Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 4South West Sydney Clinical Campus, Faculty of Medicine & Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Biography:
I am a renal physician, conjoint lecturer, and PhD candidate at UNSW Sydney with broad interests across general nephrology, including chronic kidney disease, and dialysis vascular access. My current research focus is vascular biology and engineering. My PhD investigates endothelial cell signalling in high-flow arteriovenous fistulas using innovative 3D models based on patient-specific vascular geometries, combining additive manufacturing with established biological techniques to explore their role in cardiovascular complications.
Aim:
To evaluate trends in basic-science kidney research over time and explore implications for acute kidney injury (AKI) research and treatment.
Background:
AKI affects up to 31% of hospitalized patients, and contributes significantly to morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. With no proven therapies to improve outcomes, AKI-specific discovery research is vital to address this treatment gap.
Methods:
A systematic review of kidney research publications from 2013 to 2024 was conducted using EMBASE. Publications were classified by research type (basic science vs. clinical), proportions of those related to AKI, and subcategories of publications focused on disease mechanism and therapeutics. Trends in publication volume and focus were analysed using regression models.
Results:
While all kidney research publications increased from 2013 to 2024 (r = 0.86, r² = 0.75, β1 = 1439.6, p = 0.0003), the proportion of basic science publications declined (r = -0.85 r² = 0.72, β1 = -0.21, p = 0.0005). AKI-specific research within basic science showed significant growth (r = 0.99, r² = 0.98, β1 = 0.54, p < 0.0001), with an increased focus on both mechanistic insights (r = 0.94, r² = 0.89, β1 = 0.88, p < 0.0001) and therapeutics (r = 0.96, r² = 0.93, β1 = 0.96, p < 0.0001).
Conclusions:
The publication trends show a generalised increase in published kidney disease research between 2012 and 2024, with increasing attention on AKI-specific discovery research. The increasing focus on AKI is likely to deliver findings and potential therapies that will need testing in clinical trials. Establishing adequate clinical trial infrastructure, such as platform trials, will expedite the clinical application of this research.
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