Renal Disease Biomarkers Center of Economic Excellence

Inception:
2008

About the CoEE:

The Renal Disease Biomarkers CoEE addresses the need for reliable and prognostic biomarkers, or biological indicators, for acute kidney injury and chronic renal (kidney) failure. Statewide, medical practice-based networks will conduct proteomic analysis to identify candidate biomarkers of renal disease. Accurate and sensitive biomarkers are essential for early detection and therefore treatment of this disease.

This area of research is especially relevant in South Carolina. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, and South Carolina has a higher rate of diabetes than the U.S. average, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; more than 9% of South Carolinians have diabetes, compared to 7% nationally. Discoveries generated from this CoEE have the potential to reduce health care costs and bring revenue to the state through intellectual property development and commercialization of newly identified biomarkers for kidney disease.

Faculty associated with the CoEE continue to partner with the Southern Acute Kidney Injury Network (SAKInet) made up of four researchers from Duke University, George Washington University, the University of Tennessee system, and the MD Anderson Cancer Center (Texas) in order to facilitate biomarker discovery. Two other consortia have been formed: BioMaSC (Biomarker SC) is composed of nephrologists and primary care physicians across South Carolina, while MUSCRATS (MUSC Research and Translational Science) is composed of MUSC alumni practicing
nephrologists. To date, this CoEE has received more than $900,000 in federal, foundation, and industry research funding. This past year, the CoEE submitted an NIH grant application totaling $10 million in capital funds, which would be used to create the Renal Biomarker Center.

Funding level:
$5 million

CoEE Endowed Chairs: