Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) awarded $825,255 to The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio on April 15, 2026, under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847). This Project Grant supports basic biomedical research aimed at identifying and validating metabolite markers of diabetic kidney disease (DKD), specifically investigating adenine as an early, reversible driver of kidney injury in individuals with type 1 diabetes. The research integrates multi-omic approaches including single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, metabolomics analysis, and computational modeling to map cellular adenine sources and injury pathways in kidney tissue samples and longitudinal patient cohorts.

The award funds a comprehensive, five-year research initiative (completion date February 28, 2031) that will examine adenine's role in DKD pathogenesis through three integrated aims: characterizing adenine sources and glomerular filtration rate decline prediction using kidney biopsies and biospecimens from 1,430 participants across four longitudinal cohorts; analyzing paired kidney biopsies from the ATTEMPT clinical trial to evaluate whether sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor therapy suppresses adenine production; and conducting mechanistic studies using isotope tracing and genetically modified mouse models to elucidate adenine's interaction with tubular insulin receptors and downstream signaling cascades. This research directly addresses a critical knowledge gap, as individuals with type 1 diabetes have been excluded from major renal outcome trials that have transformed DKD management in type 2 diabetes populations.