Federal Grant Award Summary

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute received a $934,242 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847), effective June 15, 2026 through February 28, 2030. The award supports a retrospective cohort study applying integrative omics technologies to identify mechanistic pathways underlying adverse outcomes in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The research will leverage stored biological samples and existing data from over 1,100 pediatric patients across two of the world's largest prospective CKD cohort studies: the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKID) study and the Cardiovascular Comorbidity in Children with CKD (4C) study.

The primary research activities include performing large-scale proteomic analysis on paired baseline plasma and urine samples and untargeted metabolomic profiling, which will be integrated with existing genomic, metabolomic, and targeted biomarker measurements. These analyses are designed to identify novel proteins and molecular pathways involved in CKD progression and related complications, with particular focus on understanding tubular injury, inflammation, and repair mechanisms. The deliverables from this project will expand the scientific foundation for understanding pediatric CKD etiology and generate insights that may lead to improved preventive and therapeutic strategies for this high-mortality disease.