Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) disrupts the body’s ability to maintain mineral balance, leading to the accumulation of uremic toxins and imbalances in calcium and phosphorus. These disruptions contribute to severe complications, including vascular calcification and osteoporosis. Recent discoveries have identified "Calcification Blocking Factor (CBF)," an adrenal-derived peptide, as a key regulator in these processes. Its active component, CBF 1-8, has shown promising potential to prevent vascular calcification while enhancing bone mineral density, offering a novel therapeutic avenue for CKD-related bone mineral disorders.

By integrating biological research with advanced computational modeling, we aim to develop a multi-organ mechanistic network that maps CKD-induced changes across different organs and evaluates treatment impact. This international collaboration is intended to pave the way for innovative therapeutic strategies against vascular calcification and osteoporosis in CKD patients.

Collaboration and Funding: This research is an exploratory effort, part of a broader efforts at RWTH Aachen to enhance data-driven medicine. Supported by an interdisciplinary team and international collaboration, the project embodies the intersection of computational life sciences and clinical application.

Involved Partners

• Dr. Shruti Bhargava (Institute for Molecular Cardiovascular Research; IMCAR) [Project Lead]
• Dr. Jan Pennekamp (COMSYS)
• Prof. A. Bindu Madhava Reddy (Department of Animal Biology, University of Hyderabad)

Funding

SFASIA008. Funded by the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments.