Research Program
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How do we maintain young kidneys for old people?
The Problem
Iron is an essential element that is required for oxygen transfer, redox, and metabolic activities in mammals. Although iron is critical for physiological function, both iron deficiency and excess induce oxidative stress. When we are becoming old, iron handling in renal cells is impaired leading to impaired kidney function. One of the impairments of this function is ineffective phosphaturia or the decrease of the ability of the kidney to get rid of phosphate from the blood. The impairment of this mechanism leads to detrimental health consequences since accumulation of blood phosphate increased vascular calcification odds, a critical risk factor for cardiovascular mortality.