Meeting Report
Monday 4th April - Tuesday 5th April 2005
Waterfront Hall, Belfast
Overview FD '05
 As part of its on-going commitment to the work of The National
Kidney Research Fund, The Amgen Foundation, a subsidiary of Amgen Ltd,
agreed to fund a fifth 'Fellows Day', which took place in Belfast on
the 4-5th April 2005.
This annual event is designed as an opportunity for Research Fellows
and PhD Students supported by the Fund to attend an academic meeting
and celebration of their work.
This initiative continues to build a spirit of belonging and
demonstrates the Fund's continuing interest in supporting and
encouraging young scientists and clinicians.
The Delegate's View FD '05
Dr Donald Ward, NKRF Career Development Fellow, The University of Manchester
 The 2005 Fellow's Day was hosted and chaired by Professor Peter
Maxwell (Belfast City Hospital) in the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.
Following the Chairman's introductory welcome, Prof. Charles Pusey
(Chairman of the Fund's Trustees) delivered an update on the work of
the fund. We learned that three-quarters of charitable expenditure goes
on research with the remainder used for patient care and raising
awareness of kidney disease. Prof. Pusey stressed the high demand for
Fellowship funding with only 15% of applications successful but pointed
out that the Fund had nevertheless funded over one hundred Fellowships
and Studentships over the previous two decades.
There followed a guest lecture on "Oxygen Sensing and the Kidney" by
Professor Patrick Maxwell (Hammersmith Hospital, London). He described
the research that lead to the discovery of how and where EPO is made in
the kidney. EPO is an essential chemical that helps us maintain a
healthy number of red blood cells and understanding how its release is
regulated could help us improve the treatment of renal ischaemia where
oxygen deficiency occurs.
At this point, four NKRF funded Fellows and Postgraduates presented
data from the previous year of their research. Firstly, Dr Donald Ward
described a molecular signal within the calcium-sensing receptor that
allows us to better understand the control of PTH secretion, as excess
PTH secretion can be a serious problem in renal dialysis patients. Then
Gareth Lewis, an NKRF/Diabetes UK PhD student from Belfast City
Hospital detailed his investigation into the genetic reasons why some
diabetics may go on to suffer renal failure resulting from the presence
of protein in their urine. Next, Ms Nicola Thomas, a renal nurse and
NKRF/BRS Joint Research Fellow asked whether an "innovative
patient-centred education programme can control the parameters that
delay the progression of diabetic nephropathy?" and presented her
findings. The final talk of the day was given by Dr Renate Kain, a
Senior Research Fellow at the University of Aberdeen, who presented
data showing that membrane glycoproteins can act as autoantigens in
focal necrotizing glomerulonephritis (FNGN), a condition in which the
body's own immune system attacks and damages the kidney.
 Prof. Maxwell then concluded the day's formal proceedings before the
delegates retired to Clandeboye Lodge in Bangor for a drinks reception
and dinner.
Professor Caroline Savage (Professor of Nephrology at the University
of Birmingham) turned our attention to "Translational Research" in the
first talk of the following morning, stressing the importance of
translating scientific discoveries made in the laboratory into actual
improvements in the care of renal patients. However, Prof. Savage also
highlighted that the reverse is also true and that unexplained
observations made in the clinic can contribute to novel research in the
laboratory.
Seven more NKRF-funded Fellows and Postgraduates then gave brief
overviews of their recent work as tasters for the Poster Presentations
which would follow later in the day.
 Dr David Wheeler (Royal Free and University College Medical School,
London) delivered the Amgen-sponsored lecture entitled "Cardiovascular
Disease in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: From Convention to
Novel Risk Factors". He described how cardiovascular disease has such
an adverse impact on the 5-year survival rates of haemodialysis
patients and explained that, somewhat surprisingly, the risk factors
for the development of CVD in renal patients are in some instances the
opposite of those in the general population. He explained that, for
example, in haemodialysis patients it is actually low cholesterol
levels and low blood pressure that are predictors of death. Dr Wheeler
suggested that the use of non calcium-containing phosphate binders, low
calcium dialysate solutions, non-calcaemic vitamin D-analogues and
calcimimetic drugs could reduce the vascular calcification seen in
renal patients which otherwise affects their survival rates so
seriously.
Charles Kernahan, the Fund's Chief Executive, summarised proceedings
thus far, pointing out that with the recent recovery of the stock
market, the Fund was in a stronger financial position than before. He
reiterated the high degree of competition for obtaining funding and
asked the Fellows in turn to assist in giving talks to groups of
potential Fund sponsors and fundraisers, thereby acting as ambassadors
to help raise the profile of renal research. That charity-funded
researchers should be more accountable to patients, as well as to their
financial supporters was most vividly demonstrated when Mr Jeremy
Nichols, Chair of the Fund's National Patient Advisory Group, delivered
some personal observations. Jeremy has lived with kidney disease and
dialysis for over a quarter of a century already and he issued an
important challenge to the renal research community to improve upon
current transplant technology in order that transplanted kidneys remain
healthy for much longer.
An innovation for the Fellow's Day this year was to overlap the end
of the meeting with the start of the Renal Association Annual Meeting.
This worked well and afforded the opportunity for the wider renal
community to hear about NKRF-funded research in the first Plenary
Session of their meeting.
Dr Ed Sharples (William Harvey Research Institute, London) described
his investigations into the non-haemopoietic effects of EPO and whether
it may be involved in the response to kidney injury. Next Dr Rick
Fielding (Imperial College, London) introduced a new method for
studying the role of anoxia and ATP depletion in kidney tubule injury
using a 3-dimensional cell model in which the cells assemble into
discernible renal structures. Finally, Dr Tim Johnson (Sheffield Kidney
Institute) described how by inhibiting proteins known as
Transglutaminases, he could substantially lessen the severity of
diabetes-induced renal damage in an experimental model.
The Fellow's Day in Belfast was undoubtedly a great success and
enabled further improvement in the public exposure of NKRF-funded
research. It brought together all shades of opinion from basic
scientists to renal patients and from clinicians to fund-raisers in a
way that few, if any, other conferences manage, thus keeping the
research vital and focused. Given the breadth and quality of the
research presented it is clear that the Fund is achieving its research
objectives.
Awards FD '05
 This was the first year in which the Fund awarded prizes for the Fellow or Student who delivered the best poster presentation and the best oral presentation.
This year's winner of the Best Poster Presentation was Evangelia Prodromidi, NKRF PhD Studentship, Hammersmith Hospital, London.
The award for Best Oral Presentation went to Dr Edward Sharples,
NKRF Training Research Fellow, William Harvey Research Training
Institute, London.
The winners are pictured here with Adam Aspinall (far left) of Amgen
and the Fund's Chairman, Professor Charles Pusey (far right).
Event Supported by
Copies of the full Abstract Book are available by clicking here.
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