# Comprehensive, Real-Time Monitoring of the Accumulation and Clearance of Small Molecules in Kidney Disease

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA · 2024 · $682,833

## Abstract

Summary. Current methods for monitoring kidney function and the effectiveness of renal replacement therapy,
which rely on infrequent, blood-draw measurements of plasma creatinine and urea, are simply inadequate. In
response, here the team that invented electrochemical aptamer-based (EAB) sensors, the first high-frequency,
real-time molecular measurement platform able to work in situ in the body, have combined forces with world-
class experts in both aptamer selection and nephrology to advance the measurement of renal function and
uremic solute clearance. To realize this vision, we are pursuing three specific aims. First, our aim-1 goal is the
development of minimally-invasive, subcutaneous EAB sensors as a clinical tool supporting the measurement
of plasma urea and creatinine concentrations, thus adding renal clearance to the list of vital signs that, like pulse
and blood oxygenation, can be monitored unobtrusively and in real time. By providing accurate, real-time
information regarding the rate of change of plasma creatinine, such an advance would accelerate the diagnosis
and treatment of acute kidney injury and enable the immediate assessment of treatment efficacy. By providing
real-time information regarding plasma urea, the proposed technology would likewise enable the high-precision
personalization of renal replacement therapies, which has the potential to improve outcomes, lower costs, and
enhance patient quality of life. In parallel, under aims 2 and 3 we will advance the EAB platform as a research
tool to improve our understanding of uremic toxin clearance. Specifically, in aim 2 we will use the platform to
characterize the clearance of uremic solutes from the blood, brain, and muscles in animal models of uremia. By
improving our understanding of the extent to which the clearance of urea and creatinine from the plasma reflects
their clearance from the solid tissues that are the major sites of uremic toxicity, success in these efforts will
increase the clinical value of both traditional blood-draw/benchtop tests and our proposed real-time monitoring
technology. And in aim 3 we will expand the platform to the measurement of a range of physicochemically and
physiologically diverse uremic toxins, with our goal being to identify markers that, either alone or in conjunction
with urea and creatinine, provide a more complete, more clinically meaningful descriptions of renal function,
uremia, and the efficacy of renal replacement. The successful outcome of this work will be decisive demon-
stration of a powerful new clinical tool for monitoring renal function, kidney failure, and renal replacement, and
two powerful new research tools aimed at improving understanding of the clearance of the toxins underlying
uremia. Together, these advances will significantly enhance the detection, study, monitoring, and treatment all
stages of kidney disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10883427
- **Project number:** 1R01DK137421-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA
- **Principal Investigator:** Tod Edward Kippin
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $682,833
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-05-15 → 2028-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10883427

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10883427, Comprehensive, Real-Time Monitoring of the Accumulation and Clearance of Small Molecules in Kidney Disease (1R01DK137421-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10883427. Licensed CC0.

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