Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) awarded the University of Pittsburgh a Project Grant of $769,882 (awarded April 16, 2026, with completion scheduled for March 31, 2031) under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847). This award supports investigator-initiated biomedical research examining the molecular and physiologic mechanisms by which calcineurin inhibitors affect WNK body biomolecular condensates in kidney cells.

The research addresses a clinically significant problem affecting transplant recipients: tacrolimus, a calcineurin inhibitor prescribed to over 90% of organ transplant recipients, is associated with a distinctive triad of adverse kidney effects including hypertension, hyperkalemia, and metabolic acidosis. The research aims to elucidate how calcineurin inhibitors increase the abundance of WNK bodies (membraneless intracellular compartments) and thereby amplify the WNK/SPAK/NCC signaling pathway, which regulates sodium chloride cotransporter activity in the kidney's distal convoluted tubule. Products from this research will contribute to fundamental understanding of condensate biology and may inform the development of pharmacologic strategies to mitigate tacrolimus-associated kidney complications in transplant patients.