# Calcification Propensity, using Dynamic Light Scattering, to Study Vascular Calcification in Patients with Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease

> **NIH NIH K23** · ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2021 · $161,643

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The purpose of this proposal is to foster the development of Wei Chen, MD, MS as an independent
translational researcher with the expertise to study vascular calcification (VC) in patients with chronic kidney
disease (CKD). CKD patients have a high prevalence of VC, which contributes to their high cardiovascular
morbidity and mortality. In part, due to the absence of a valid biomarker for VC, there is currently no effective
treatment to slow its progression. Recently, a serum assay was developed to measure calcification propensity,
and it may serve as a biomarker for VC to guide development of new therapies. However, it is unknown
whether there is a direct relationship between calcification propensity, as measured by this assay, and VC. Dr.
Chen will address this question by examining the association of calcification propensity with the severity of VC
and the cellular mechanism leading to VC. In conjunction with a biochemist—Dr. Benjamin Miller (advisor), Dr.
Chen developed a new, microplate-based assay that uses dynamic light scattering. Their preliminary data
demonstrated that the new assay may have a greater predictive power for VC compared to the old assay that
used nephelometry. Using the improved assay, Dr. Chen will test the following 2 hypotheses: 1) hemodialysis
patients with higher calcification propensity have greater coronary arterial calcification, a faster progression of
arterial stiffness and higher all-cause and cardiovascular mortality compared to those with lower propensity;
and 2) higher calcification propensity is associated with higher arterial RNA expression of the factors involved
in vascular smooth muscle cell osteochondrogenesis, including runt-related transcription factor-2 (runx2) and
osteocalcin. The first hypothesis will be tested in 417 patients on hemodialysis from the Predictors of
Arrhythmic and Cardiovascular Risk in End Stage Renal Disease study. To test the second hypothesis, Dr.
Chen will recruit 100 CKD patients that are undergoing arteriovenous access creation surgeries, measure
serum calcification propensity, and obtain intraoperative arterial samples (3-5mm per biopsy per patient) to
measure arterial RNA expression of runx2 and osteocalcin. This proposal will make a significant contribution
towards validating a novel VC biomarker, provide new insights into the pathophysiology of VC and has the
potential to guide new treatment strategies to reduce mortality in patients with CKD. It is innovative because
Dr. Chen and her team employ a novel assay and a translational approach to study VC. In addition, this
proposal will provide opportunities for Dr. Chen to achieve her training objectives, which are to acquire
knowledge and skills in conducting VC research, implementation of Good Clinical Laboratory Practice as well
as longitudinal data-analyses and clinical study design. Dr. Chen developed these training objectives with her
multidisciplinary mentoring team, and accomplishing these ob...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10418310
- **Project number:** 3K23DK114476-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Wei Chen
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $161,643
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-08-01 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10418310

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10418310, Calcification Propensity, using Dynamic Light Scattering, to Study Vascular Calcification in Patients with Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease (3K23DK114476-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10418310. Licensed CC0.

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