Federal Grant Award Summary

Rush University Medical Center received a $783,899 Project Grant 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 February 15, 2026 through November 30, 2030. This award supports basic biomedical research investigating the mechanisms of non-HIV collapsing glomerulopathy (CG), a severe form of glomerular disease, with a particular focus on understanding disease etiology and progression in Hispanic patient populations.

The research deliverables include development and characterization of transgenic rat and knockout mouse models of CG to elucidate disease mechanisms and identify critical upstream pathways involving podocyte expression of the transcriptional factor ZHX2 and glomerular integrins (A3B1, AVB5, and AVB3). The project will investigate changes in glomeruli during early disease development and prior to capillary loop collapse, and will test the therapeutic potential of recombinant mutated human angiopoietin-like 4 protein as a treatment intervention. These research activities aim to advance understanding of CG pathogenesis and contribute to the development of improved prevention and treatment strategies for this kidney disease.