Our Mission

The Rotterdam Kidney Lab aims to address the role of the kidney tubule in common and rare kidney diseases.

To do so, we take a translational approach in which new insights into mechanisms of disease are translated to clinical application. Our specific focus is on chronic kidney disease and rare kidney diseases, specifically autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and tubulopathies.

Chronic kidney disease is a global health burden and rare kidney diseases serve as valuable models to understand fundamental kidney mechanisms that also play a role in more prevalent conditions. To achieve our aims, we integrate pre-clinical with clinical and epidemiological studies. Our experimental approach relies on human disease modelling using tubuloids and animals. Furthermore, we leverage patient urine samples as a non-invasive source for biomarker discovery. This includes proteomic analysis of urinary extracellular vesicles: nanosized particles that provide a molecular window into kidney disease.

Beyond the lab, we lead investigator-initiated clinical trials to translate our findings into clinical practice. A specific focus in these studies is to investigate dietary interventions (electrolytes and acid-base) as a non-pharmacological approach to attenuate kidney disease progression.

Finally, we collaborate with large-scale population-based studies, such as the Rotterdam Study, integrating serum and urinary electrolyte analyses with genetic and clinical data to uncover key determinants of kidney health.