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Read the latest research about polycystic kidney disease (PKD).

First Tess Harris Fellowship awarded to advance PKD research

06 October 2026 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
From genetic research to personalised care for people with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) Dr Christopher Pieri from University College London (UCL) has been awarded the first Tess Harris Fellowship…

Could a parent's diet be linked to PKD severity in their child? An early laboratory study gets underway.

16 September 2026 | Amanda Burke | Latest news
This week, we're sharing another project funded through the PKD Partnership, a collaboration between Kidney Research UK and the PKD Charity to speed up progress in PKD research.  PKD is caused by ch…

What's happening in PKD research?

07 September 2026 | Amanda Burke | Latest news
Research into polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is moving faster than ever. Scientists, doctors and other experts are working together to understand every stage of the disease. Some researchers are st…

Could gene therapy help children with ARPKD in the future?

01 September 2026 | Amanda Burke | Latest news
Summary Gene therapy is a new way to treat diseases caused by changes in our genes. It works by giving cells new instructions to make the faulty gene work better. Gene therapy for PKD is still at a…

PKD Partnership announces £812,000 in research and training awards

11 August 2026 | Amanda Burke | Latest news
Last summer we told you about an exciting milestone, the launch of the PKD Partnership, our collaboration with Kidney Research UK to speed up progress in PKD research. The partnership invited scienti…

New horizons for PKD research

17 July 2026 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
The recent New Horizons in Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) event brought together PKD researchers and clinical scientists from across the UK at Brunel University to share recent progress, explore new…

The hidden impact of salt on kidney health and PKD

13 May 2026 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
How often do we hear that too much salt is bad for PKD, but why is it such a concern? For people living with polycystic kidney disease (PKD), reducing salt intake can play a key role in protecting k…

IMPEDE-PKD Trial

17 February 2026 | Jane Pugh | Uncategorised
Researchers think a drug called metformin, used to treat Type 2 Diabetes, may slow down kidney damage for people with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD). The IMPEDE-PKD trial aims t…

Seven Million Lives at Risk: What's the Plan?

14 January 2026 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
Kidney disease affects millions of people in the UK and is one of the fastest-growing health challenges, yet it has been under-prioritised for far too long. Following the government’s 10-Year Health…

Kidney Charities Unite to Urge PM to Act on Kidney Disease

23 October 2025 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
This week, the PKD Charity joined four leading kidney charities, patients and clinicians at 10 Downing Street to urge the Prime Minister to take urgent action on kidney disease. Without change, it co…

Damage to tiny kidney blood vessels is an early feature of PKD progression, UCL finds

25 September 2025 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
A new study from University College London (UCL), supported by the PKD Charity, has revealed that the kidney’s tiny blood vessels (the microvasculature) are damaged in the early stages of Autosomal D…

Study finds promising new treatment approach for PKD

01 September 2025 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
New research led by Professor Colin A Johnson and researchers at the University of Leeds and University of Sheffield, has identified a promising new way to treat polycystic kidney disease (PKD) by te…

What is RadaR? And Why Does It Matter for PKD?

22 August 2025 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
RaDaR—the National Registry of Rare Kidney Diseases—is a UK Kidney Association initiative launched in 2010 to collect detailed, long-term data from patients with rare kidney conditions, including aut…

Transforming the future of PKD: PKD Partnership launches research funding call

06 August 2025 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
A major milestone in our mission to change the future of polycystic kidney disease (PKD) has arrived. After years of conversations and planning, we have established the PKD Partnership — a bold coll…

WHO says Yes: Kidney health is a global priority!

20 May 2025 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
PKD Charity alongside Kidney Care UK, Kidney Research UK, Kidney Wales, The National Kidney Federation, Popham Kidney Support, and the UK Kidney Association are delighted to report that on 23 May 202…

Salt Awareness Week: PKD Charity Joins Call for Government Action on Salt

09 May 2025 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
Let's Talk Salt! This Salt Awareness Week (12–18 May), we’re supporting Action on Salt’s 2025 campaign: 6 Ways to 6 Grams. The aim is simple – raise awareness about the dangers of too much salt and…

Help Shape the Future of Liver Transplant Allocation

15 April 2025 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
Your voice matters! As the only UK patient organisation dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) we know how important it is for your voices to be heard…

Digital Health Intervention Enhances Wellbeing of People with PKD

08 April 2025 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
New results show Kidney BEAM physical activity digital health programme improves mental health and self-management in people living with polycystic kidney disease. Lead researcher, Juliet Briggs…

HIYA-PKD Study

21 March 2025 | Jane Pugh | Uncategorised
Family study of early hypertension in children and young people at risk of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: The HIYA-PKD Study. Who Can Take Part? Do you have a parent with autosomal…

PKD Research Partnership Seeks Subgroup Leaders

27 February 2025 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
Lead a PKD Research Subgroup - Expressions of Interest Invited   The PKD Charity and Kidney Research UK are seeking leaders for 6 theme-specific research subgroups within the newly established UK…

US Woman Makes History as Longest-Living Recipient of Pig Kidney Transplant

14 February 2025 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
In a groundbreaking medical achievement, 53-year-old Towana Looney from Alabama has become the longest-living recipient of a gene-edited pig kidney transplant. As of February 2025, she continues to r…

First-Ever KDIGO Guidelines Set to Transform PKD Care

22 January 2025 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
We're pleased to announce the publication of the first-ever KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) Clinical Practice Guideline for Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), specifically addressing…

New Hope for PKD Patients: IMPEDE-PKD Research Study

17 October 2024 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
A ground-breaking research study is underway to investigate whether the diabetes drug metformin can slow the progression of Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), focusing on the most common inherited form…

Pioneering Milestone: First Genetically Modified Pig Kidney Transplant Successfully Performed

23 March 2024 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
On March 16, 2024, the US witnessed a historic medical milestone: the successful completion of the first pig-to-human kidney transplant. This groundbreaking procedure, conducted at Massachusetts Gene…

Study identifies cell signals that might be intercepted to treat PLD

15 January 2024 | Hannah Bridges | Latest news
Following on from our recent article on polycystic liver disease (PLD), we’re excited to share some new research in this field. Researchers in Edinburgh, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain have discove…

The benefits and risks of a ketogenic diet for ADPKD from the KETO-ADPKD Study

15 January 2024 | Hannah Bridges | Latest news
Studies in animal models of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) showed in 2019 that a ketogenic diet may have positive effects on cystic kidneys. Ketogenic diets are low in carbohydr…

AI Measures Kidney Size 6 Times Faster than Humans

15 January 2024 | Hannah Bridges | Latest news
Artificial intelligence (AI) once felt like it had a home only in science fiction stories, but there’s no doubt it’s now becoming an integral part of our world. The potential threats and opportunitie…

The PKD Research Consortium: Advancing the Fight Against Polycystic Kidney Disease

28 June 2023 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is the world’s most common inherited kidney disease, with substantial unmet needs and limited treatment options. In collaboration with Kidney Research UK, we've embark…

ARPKD animated information video

14 October 2022 | Jane Pugh | Blogs
Paediatric nephrologists at Evelina London Children's Hospital are in the process of creating an animated information video to help children (Aged approx. 8-10yrs) and their families learn more about…

Lab grown kidneys could lead to new treatments that slow disease progression

04 July 2022 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
We are delighted to fund Professor Colin A Johnson and his work looking for novel treatments for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Professor Colin A Johnson  The Problem…

New study aims to prevent cyst formation in ADPKD

28 June 2022 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
We're pleased to announce that we are funding Professor Albert Ong on his mission to discover and test new treatments for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Professor Albert…

Grant to study genetics could improve lives of ARPKD patients

23 June 2022 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
We're thrilled to co-fund a PKD PhD Studentship under the supervision of Dr Joe Cockburn, one of three brand new awards funded by our groundbreaking research partnership with Kidney Research UK. …

PKD patients set to benefit from research investment of over £500,000

26 May 2022 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
PKD Charity and Kidney Research UK have teamed up to fund three research projects to improve the lives of PKD patients, with grants worth a total of £537,000. The awards mark the start of a new c…

The Dawn of the Artificial Kidney

03 May 2022 | Tess Harris | Blogs
Artificial kidneys may sound like something from a science fiction movie, but these ground-breaking new treatments are currently being designed and tested across the globe. These scientific advan…

Grant to study blood vessels and lymphatics in PKD

03 May 2022 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
The PKD Charity has awarded a £14,960 research grant to a group at University College London (UCL), who are looking to develop new treatments for polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Headed up by Pro…

Grant to promote PKD treatment research

27 October 2021 | Tess Harris | Latest news
The PKD Charity has just awarded a £45,000 grant to the UCL Division of Medicine at the Royal Free Hospital London to part-fund a 3-year PhD Studentship. We urgently need new ways to treat polycy…

Lab-grown ‘mini kidneys’ for testing PKD treatments

25 October 2021 | Hannah Bridges | Blogs
We interview Professor Patricia Wilson, Trustee of the PKD Charity and Curator of the PKD BioResource, to find out more about new research into the use of lab-grown ‘mini kidneys’ to find new treatme…

ADPKD aneurysm risk study

14 October 2021 | Tess Harris | Latest news
People with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) are known to be at high risk of intracranial aneurysms (IA). IAs occur in about 3 in 100 of the general population but in between…

Vitamin A and ARPKD links uncovered in study

18 August 2021 | Tess Harris | Blogs
Research supported by the PKD Charity has uncovered links between vitamin A and ARPKD, which might lead to possible treatments in future. What does vitamin A do? Our bodies use vitamin A in a nu…

Defining progression of ADPKD and tolvaptan efficacy

13 May 2021 | Jane Pugh | Latest news
One of the problems when managing ADPKD patients is that there is a wide variation in how quickly the disease progresses. Even if we know the gene (PKD-1 or PKD-2) and type of mutation responsible, t…

Pioneering study of blood pressure in children and young people at risk of ADPKD

02 January 2020 | Madeleine Martin | Blogs
Professor Paul Winyard and colleagues have received a grant from Kidney Research UK to study blood pressure in children and young people at risk of ADPKD (autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease…

Organoids - the human kidney structures grown in a lab

19 November 2018 | Tess Harris | Blogs
Researchers at the University of Washington, USA, have developed techniques to grow kidney structures in the lab. They can even make kidney tubules with polycystic kidney disease. We caught up w…

Taylor Richards - ARPKD PhD student

19 November 2018 | Tess Harris | Blogs
I am excited to have been awarded a PhD studentship, co-funded by the PKD charity and I can’t wait to start working on this 3-year project on the ‘Molecular Mechanisms of the Fibrocystin-ATMIN intera…

RaDaR Conference on Rare Disease Day 2018

28 February 2018 | Tess Harris | Blogs
I was very pleased to accompany our very own Tess and Carol (a fellow PKD patient) to the National Registry of Rare Kidney Diseases (RaDaR) conference held in honour of World Rare Disease Day 2018 at…

2,000th patient in 100,000 Genomes Project has ADPKD

30 May 2017 | Tess Harris | Latest news
ADPKD patient Christine Mather has become the 2,000th person in Greater Manchester to take part in the 100,000 Genomes Project, which is transforming the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases…

Biliary tract disease linked to polycystic kidney disease

30 May 2017 | Tess Harris | Latest news
A group of researchers from Oxford Kidney Unit and the University of Oxford has produced the first analysis of whether there is a link between autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) and…

Moderate salt restriction is beneficial In ADPKD

21 June 2016 | Tess Harris | Latest news
Restricting salt in your diet can help slow the progression of ADPKD, according to a recent study. This is a lay summary of an article published in Kidney International, February 2017. What we…

Understanding pain in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD)

21 June 2016 | Tess Harris | Latest news
This is a report of a survey carried out during the ADPKD Information & Support Day, Birmingham Hospital, 23rd January 2016.  The issues of pain were explored in a workshop during the day. We are…

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