Today we announce the appointment of Fiona Carragher as our new chief executive. Joining from Alzheimer’s Society where she is currently chief policy and research officer, Fiona will be taking up her post of leading Kidney Research UK in August. Read more here: https://bit.ly/4c7NsSE

Discover the power of histopathology in kidney research with NURTuRE. Join our upcoming NURTuRE webinar on Wednesday 15 April, 2–3pm and explore how newly available histopathology data is transforming research across the UK. Register now: https://bit.ly/490RJo8

Today we’re launching Kidneys Unfiltered. Where real, messy and unfiltered stories from the kidney community are taking over our feeds for the whole month. Follow us and our Kidneys Unfiltered campaign, and share your own kidney truths in the comments with a community of people who understand.

Dr Natalie Chandler, from @greatormondst.bsky.social, has been awarded a £245,000 paediatric and rare diseases research project grant to test a new, detailed genetic testing method to help more people with inherited kidney disease get a clear & accurate diagnosis. Read more: https://bit.ly/4rX3nYm

Professor Matthew Reeves and the team from University College London (UCL) have shown how one of the most successful vaccines for cytomegalovirus (CMV), part of the herpes group of viruses, could lead to more effective vaccines for kidney transplant patients! Read more here: https://bit.ly/4swyCuC

More trials, better data, faster access. We worked with Genetic Alliance UK to develop a new report from the LifeArc Translational Centres for Rare Disease Hub, setting out how smarter policy can accelerate rare disease research. Read more 👉 https://t.ly/LJRi4

We are delighted to share that NURTuRE has won the @bionow.bsky.social Partnership & Collaboration Award! This recognition celebrates the incredible work of our collaborators and the power of NURTuRE to accelerate kidney research and improve outcomes for patients. #BionowAwards

Alport Research Hub Symposium 2026 on Friday 3 July at the Institute of Child Health, London. An interactive event dedicated to sharing the latest scientific advances and clinical trials in Alport syndrome and the achievements of the Alport Research Hub.    Register now: https://bit.ly/46NOBeW

Dr Patrick Walsh & Dr Emily Bowen have received a £40,000 grant for research into haemolytic uraemic syndrome (STEC-HUS), the most common cause of children's kidney failure. STEC-HUS is caused by E. coli infection & affects around 100 children per year in the UK. Read more: https://bit.ly/4d6tPLr

Minor timing changes! Please refer to the updated timetable below. From 10-12 March, we'll be at Harrogate Convention Centre on stand S5 for the UK’s largest conference for the professional kidney community, providing opportunities to hear from some wonderful speakers & researchers. @ukkidney.org

We're really excited about See Me being available for children to read and learn from, and we hope it encourages kindness, understanding and open communication for young patients and their families 💜 Find out more about the book here: www.kidneyresearchuk.org/2026/03/04/n...

We’ll be joining over 2,000 healthcare professionals and researchers at the @diabetesuk.bsky.social Professional Conference 2026! Registration is now open, with the conference taking place from 22 to 24 April 2026 at Exhibition Centre Liverpool. Secure your place now: https://bit.ly/3N2cbhd

We're at the British Transplantation Society Congress in North Wales from today until Friday 6 March! Drop by to talk about real world implementation of research into practice and meet our chief research officer, David Crosby, at stand 1 during the 16:10 tea break! @btstransplant.bsky.social

Alongside the Stoneygate Trust, we've awarded Professor Devin Peipert a £250,000 grant to develop patient reported outcomes to gather information on how hearing loss affects the lives of people living with Alport syndrome. Read more https://bit.ly/4bl5LDi

People with rare kidney diseases face significant diagnosis delays, inconsistent care & long waits for new treatments. This Rare Disease Day, we are encouraging these conversations & sharing our findings with you. Read our rare kidney diseases report here: https://bit.ly/47Wdp5Z #RareDiseaseDay

We’re delighted to share that Bushra Riaz, our policy and external affairs manager in Scotland, has been shortlisted for a prestigious PRCA Public Affairs Award in the ‘Public Affairs Trailblazer of the Year’ category. We’re keeping everything crossed for the awards ceremony later this week!

Take our quick survey to help us shape our 2026–2031 data science and AI strategy. Your insights will help us understand how data is currently used in kidney research and what barriers limit big data opportunities. Deadline: Thursday 26 March. Click to complete the survey https://bit.ly/3MNxmnf

Results published in Kidney International, led by Professor Edwina Brown and Dr Michelle Willicombe from Imperial College London, provide important insights into the experiences of older patients receiving a kidney transplant. Read more about the research https://bit.ly/4qJyzKa

A win for NURTuRE and the team! 🎉 We’re incredibly proud to share that NURTuRE has won Best Research Partnership and Multisector Partnership of the Year at the Excellence in Healthcare Partnership Awards. #EHPAwards

The first NURTuRE webinar brought together researchers to showcase how NURTuRE can unlock new insights into kidney disease. Read more on our website about what's possible with NURTuRE https://bit.ly/46GNxt7

We had two inspiring days in Solihull at the UK Paediatric Kidney Conference. It was a pleasure to connect with so many people from across the research community and speak about our opportunities for 2026. Here are a few research highlights from the conference.

We welcome the decision from NICE - National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, that will enable more people living with primary IgA nephropathy (IgAN) to access a targeted treatment on the NHS in England. Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/4rB3p8P

For World Cancer Day, we're shining a spotlight on Dr Simon Baker and his team at the University of York, and their research into BK virus and bladder cancer. Read more the research here: https://bit.ly/4pjXEvr

What are we looking forward to in 2026? We caught up with four of our funded researchers to hear how their projects are progressing, what they've achieved so far and how their work can give hope to people living with kidney disease in the year ahead. Read the full article: https://bit.ly/3NU7kyO

Could understanding blood pressure changes during sleep in kidney patients be key to protecting heart and vessel health? Dr Jess Ivy, and the team at the University of Edinburgh, are researching to find out. Read more here: https://bit.ly/3NSs6Pe

We’re proud to be part of a cardiovascular disease (CVD) coalition, calling for policy change on prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for CVD and risk conditions. Find out more by reading our new action plan for tackling CVD: Getting to the heart of the matter: https://bit.ly/4k1OkKK

New dialysis research update! Prof Grazia De Angelis, Dr Maryam Zarghamidehaghani, and the team at the University of Edinburgh are working on the REDIAL project to create a smaller, wearable artificial kidney that could make dialysis easier for patients. Read more here: https://bit.ly/4pfWb8o

Meet Diane Lee, a PHD student at the University of York, working with Dr Simon Baker, searching for new ways to control BK virus after kidney transplant. Read more on how their work will benefit kidney patients: https://bit.ly/4pjXEvr

We welcome the new treatment option approved by NICE for some adults with lupus nephritis. We contributed to the approval by nominating a clinical expert to give evidence to the NICE committee. Read more: https://bit.ly/45XbEn2

We’re recruiting a data science programme lead to help develop and deliver a bold data science and AI strategy that will position us at the forefront of innovation. For the full job description and to apply, click here: https://bit.ly/4rrsEKL

We’re hiring a peer educator coordinator to be part of the SPOT CKD project (Screening, Prevention, Outreach and Treatment of CKD for Health Equity project) to support screening and prevention of CKD, improving early diagnosis and enable disease prevention. Apply here: https://bit.ly/3YW0cEq

Dr Laura Denby, and collaborators at the University of Edinburgh and Queen’s University Belfast, have discovered a new biomarker in the blood for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Read more on the teams study here: https://bit.ly/4jvbn0b

Love my Swag bag from Emma @kidneyresearchuk.org #teamkidney #londonmarathon2026 #marathontraining

We’re looking to hire a supporter engagement officer to deliver excellent personalised telephone engagement to supporters, donors, event participants and prospects to strengthening relationships and help generating income. To read the full job description and to apply: https://bit.ly/3LL0uuT

Grateful as always for a chance to share my @kidneyresearchuk.org work on multi-omics, SIMS & Alport syndrome at the Matrix Biology Society of Australia and New Zealand (MBSANZ) meeting! Huge appreciation to the tiny town of people that contribute to this work 💜

Yesterday’s outreach event at St. Mark’s Church, Kennington Park Rd, London, SE11 4PW, was a tremendous success. Blood & organ donation awareness + free kidney screenings. #BlackHistoryMonth #KidneyAwareness #BloodDonation #OrganDonation @kidneyresearchuk.org @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social

Earlier this month at Maudsley Hospital, our community came together to discuss kidney health, blood, and organ donation -breaking stigma, sharing stories, and inspiring action. 🖤 #OurHealthOurPower #BlackHistoryMonth #CommunityHealth @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social @kidneyresearchuk.org

What an inspiring day at London South Bank University (103 Borough Road, London SE1 0AA)! Our community showed up, got tested, asked questions, and took ownership of their kidney health. #BlackHistoryMonth #KidneyAwareness @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social @kidneyresearchuk.org

UCL PhD student, Claudia Bruno, spoke to us about their new published findings in the Asaio journal. She is building on work from Kidney Research UK funded, Dr Claudio Capelli, to reduce complications in children on haemodialysis. Read more: bit.ly/3JMYoGA

“Rare” kidney diseases leave a deep and widespread impact. 160,000+ people in the UK are affected — driving 25% of dialysis demand and costing the NHS £263m a year. As a @kidneyresearchuk.org Trustee, I’m calling for faster diagnosis and fairer access to care. 🔗 bit.ly/47Wdp5Z #KidneyHealth

We’re still reflecting on what has been our most successful Driving Discoveries event to date. The response and feedback have been overwhelming. Next year will take place in Manchester. Register your interest to be among the first to receive updates as details are confirmed: bit.ly/3KYakbP

Our policy team had a busy week at the Labour Party Conference—meeting partners and MPs to push for a modern kidney disease framework that transforms care and tackles its growing impact.

Amazing time last week at Driving Discoveries! Thank you @kidneyresearchuk.org for the opportunity to share our work and meet scientists, clinicians and patients. Very motivated! @cengem.bsky.social

We were deeply sorry to learn that Dame Patricia Routledge DBE has died. She was a legendary actress and proud ambassador for Kidney Research UK. We are so grateful for her friendship over many years and send our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Thank you as always to @kidneyresearchuk.org for putting on a great Driving Discoveries meeting (& continued support of our research!) 🤰🏼 Now time to pack before heading to Australia on Monday for some proteomics!

Great to hear Colin Wilson talking about the OrQA project at the @kidneyresearchuk.org #DrivingDiscoveries conference today. OrQA is an innovative tool that uses artificial intelligence and image analysis to evaluate the quality of donated organs. orqa.uk

Great talk about the Hidden initiative from Kate Bramham and detecting CKD in the community in London. Absolutely inspirational @kidneyresearchuk.org

Having a fantastic time listening to all the progress in kidney research in the UK @kidneyresearchuk.org driving discoveries. Fantastic talk @willkidney.bsky.social about how large well designed trials have changed our practice in nephrology

At @kidneyresearchuk.org Driving Discoveries today. A great programme - finishing with the early careers researchers. Great to see a fantastic approach to MDT research & funding streams for all healthcare practitioners being showcased.

Mohamed A ElZawahry presented his poster "ADMIRE: Assessing Donor Kidneys and Monitoring Transplant Recipients - A First-in-Human Clinical Study" at the @kidneyresearchuk.org #DrivingDiscoveries conference today. QUOD provided samples for this research. @ox.ac.uk @ndsurgicalsci.bsky.social