INFLAMMATION STUDY UPDATES
We're proud to provide you with the very latest study updates!
Please note: If you are new to our organization, and want more general background information
on this study, please visit our main research page.
We are pleased to report that, despite the current pandemic, the mission continues! The Inflammation Study remains underway at a temporarily slower pace, with modifications based on social distancing requirements, and we are very thankful to the researchers who, despite the current challenges, remain dedicated to the cause! We look forward to keeping you up to date on the critically important work you are helping make possible. Thank you very much for your continued support!
SECOND STUDY UPDATE
December 30, 2020
Dear Friends:
We hope this finds you safe and well. We're very grateful for the support you provide for Feline Chronic Kidney Disease research--this has been a tough year for everyone, and we can’t thank you enough for staying the course with us. Despite the pandemic, the battle against Feline CKD continues! Although the current inflammation study is moving at a significantly slower pace due to the pandemic, work remains underway, and we’re so thankful to the research team which, despite the current challenges, remain dedicated to the cause.
You will recall that the study goal is to better understand the potential role of chronic inflammation in Feline CKD. To that end, we’re examining various potential sources of inflammation, including dental disease and urinary tract infections, and how they may correlate with Feline CKD. We are also investigating inflammatory biomarkers* that could provide earlier warnings of Feline CKD development.
One positive development since the last update is that there does appear to be a correlation between specific dental pathology, such as gum recession and furcation involvement, certain inflammatory parameters, and kidney function parameters, including creatinine. This looks promising, but we must stress that we need to accrue a great deal more data to determine if these findings will be significant and useful.
Data collection and analysis for various aspects of this study, including the aforementioned dental disease research, have been hampered by the pandemic. This study has both retrospective and prospective aspects; both have been affected by the pandemic, with prospective work being more seriously affected. Retrospective work is performed when we look back, and analyze a set of data that has already been collected, such as when we examine previously bio-banked blood samples** and analyze them in concert with cats' existing clinical records to search for factors and data that may provide insights. Prospective data is collected going forward. The dental disease portion of this study is an example of prospective work: You’ll recall from a previous update that the research team developed a brand new scoring system to provide consistency and accuracy in analyzing the degree of dental disease, and to thereby create a database that will allow us to properly investigate correlations between degree and type of dental disease and Feline CKD. Each time a cat receives a dental exam, their data is contributed to the database with the goal being to build a new database of sufficient size and quality to provide statistically significant results.
In late March, at the beginning of the pandemic, the clinics and laboratories where data is collected, stored and analyzed were forced to close for all but emergency medical care. They reopened in July, but must operate more slowly and sparsely due to social distancing requirements and other safety and sanitization procedures. Despite these challenges, our commitment is unwavering. Work is proceeding as quickly as possible, and we hope that very soon, the battle against Feline CKD will proceed at full speed. We look forward to keeping you up to date on the critically important work you are helping make possible.
Research requires patience and persistence, and science moves forward through thoughtful, evidenced-based inquiry. Thank you so much for working with us towards a future where no cat knows the pain and suffering of kidney disease.
* Biomarkers are physical characteristics that can be measured--for example, particular proteins circulating in blood, that can be signs of an abnormal or diseased state.
** We will not fund any research that harms or exploits animals. The blood and urine samples being studied are routine samples provided by companion cats during the course of their regularly scheduled veterinary visits. The samples, after being used for the necessary diagnostic purposes, were preserved for use in this study with the consent of the cats’ human family members.
Copyright 2020. Foundation For Feline Renal Research.
Dear Friends:
We hope this finds you safe and well. We're very grateful for the support you provide for Feline Chronic Kidney Disease research--this has been a tough year for everyone, and we can’t thank you enough for staying the course with us. Despite the pandemic, the battle against Feline CKD continues! Although the current inflammation study is moving at a significantly slower pace due to the pandemic, work remains underway, and we’re so thankful to the research team which, despite the current challenges, remain dedicated to the cause.
You will recall that the study goal is to better understand the potential role of chronic inflammation in Feline CKD. To that end, we’re examining various potential sources of inflammation, including dental disease and urinary tract infections, and how they may correlate with Feline CKD. We are also investigating inflammatory biomarkers* that could provide earlier warnings of Feline CKD development.
One positive development since the last update is that there does appear to be a correlation between specific dental pathology, such as gum recession and furcation involvement, certain inflammatory parameters, and kidney function parameters, including creatinine. This looks promising, but we must stress that we need to accrue a great deal more data to determine if these findings will be significant and useful.
Data collection and analysis for various aspects of this study, including the aforementioned dental disease research, have been hampered by the pandemic. This study has both retrospective and prospective aspects; both have been affected by the pandemic, with prospective work being more seriously affected. Retrospective work is performed when we look back, and analyze a set of data that has already been collected, such as when we examine previously bio-banked blood samples** and analyze them in concert with cats' existing clinical records to search for factors and data that may provide insights. Prospective data is collected going forward. The dental disease portion of this study is an example of prospective work: You’ll recall from a previous update that the research team developed a brand new scoring system to provide consistency and accuracy in analyzing the degree of dental disease, and to thereby create a database that will allow us to properly investigate correlations between degree and type of dental disease and Feline CKD. Each time a cat receives a dental exam, their data is contributed to the database with the goal being to build a new database of sufficient size and quality to provide statistically significant results.
In late March, at the beginning of the pandemic, the clinics and laboratories where data is collected, stored and analyzed were forced to close for all but emergency medical care. They reopened in July, but must operate more slowly and sparsely due to social distancing requirements and other safety and sanitization procedures. Despite these challenges, our commitment is unwavering. Work is proceeding as quickly as possible, and we hope that very soon, the battle against Feline CKD will proceed at full speed. We look forward to keeping you up to date on the critically important work you are helping make possible.
Research requires patience and persistence, and science moves forward through thoughtful, evidenced-based inquiry. Thank you so much for working with us towards a future where no cat knows the pain and suffering of kidney disease.
* Biomarkers are physical characteristics that can be measured--for example, particular proteins circulating in blood, that can be signs of an abnormal or diseased state.
** We will not fund any research that harms or exploits animals. The blood and urine samples being studied are routine samples provided by companion cats during the course of their regularly scheduled veterinary visits. The samples, after being used for the necessary diagnostic purposes, were preserved for use in this study with the consent of the cats’ human family members.
Copyright 2020. Foundation For Feline Renal Research.
FIRST STUDY UPDATE
December 21, 2019
Dear Friends:
We’ve received the latest update to the study “Exploring the Role of Chronic Inflammation in the Pathogenesis of Feline Chronic Kidney Disease” from Principal Investigator Rosanne Jepson, BVSc (Dist), MVetMed, PhD, DipACVIM, DipECVIM, MRCVS. You will recall that, in this study we will endeavor to better understand the potential role of chronic inflammation in Feline CKD.
The first year of this three-year long study is complete. Here is what we have accomplished:
I. A retrospective review of cats’ medical records and their corresponding bio-banked blood samples*, to select cats for inclusion in the study has been performed, and;
II. A subsequent detailed examination of those records and samples has been performed to determine:
A. If chronic inflammation is, generally, associated with Feline CKD;
B. If chronic inflammation corresponds with dental disease in cats and;
C. If dental disease is associated with CKD in cats.
Based on their records and their existing CKD status, 538 cats were selected for inclusion in the study, with kidney health conditions ranging from non-azotemic (no demonstrable signs of CKD), to IRIS stage 4 **CKD.
Our preliminary findings at this early stage indicate that systemic chronic inflammation does indeed appear to be associated with Feline Chronic Kidney Disease. Furthermore, there does appear to be a significant association between inflammation in cats with CKD and the severity of dental disease.
We must now dig deeper. During the remainder of the study we will endeavor to confirm the aforementioned findings, and will attempt to determine, in more specific detail, how and why there appears to be an association between inflammation and CKD in cats. We will do this by looking at specific biomarkers*** of systemic and renal inflammation. One important goal of this study is to establish an optimal panel of biomarkers that could be used in the future to determine a cat’s risk of developing CKD, and/or to diagnose CKD at an earlier stage by measuring the levels of these biomarkers in the blood. We will also work to obtain more specific information into the relationship between dental disease and inflammation and, ultimately, between dental disease and CKD. To this end, a scoring system has been devised to categorize the stage of dental disease based on the degree of tartar and gingivitis. Scores range from 1 to 4, with 4 representing the most severe pathology, and each cat seen for a checkup will have the results of their oral examination carefully documented with a score and photographs.
Additional highlights of upcoming work on this study include prospective evaluation of the relationship between dental disease and urinary tract infections on chronic inflammation and CKD, and how treatment of these conditions may affect chronic inflammation and/or kidney function.
Research requires patience and persistence, and science moves forward through thoughtful, evidence-based inquiry. The process is neither quick nor simple; thank you very much for standing with us in the battle against Feline CKD. We look forward to providing you with an additional update soon.
* We will not fund any research that harms or exploits animals. Blood and urine samples utilized in this study are routine samples provided by companion cats during the course of their regularly scheduled veterinary visits. The samples, after being used for the cats’ own necessary diagnostic purposes, are then preserved for use in this study with the consent of the cats’ human family members.
** The International Renal Interest Society’s (IRIS’) guidelines are considered the gold standard for staging and managing Feline CKD. Their staging of CKD ranges from Stage 1--the least advanced disease state, through Stage 4—the most advanced disease state.
*** Biomarkers are physical characteristics that can be measured--for example, particular proteins circulating in blood, that can be signs of an abnormal or diseased state.
Copyright 2019. Foundation For Feline Renal Research.
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We care passionately about animal welfare issues, and about feline kidney disease in particular, but please understand that we are not veterinarians, and are not qualified to provide veterinary medical advice. If you have a companion animal suffering from kidney disease it is imperative that you consult with a licensed veterinarian, who is qualified to provide you with medical advice and care that meets your animal’s particular health needs.
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