Lebensburger awarded NIH grant for renal disease research in sickle cell anemia patients

Jeffery Lebensburger, D.O., director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham hematology section in the Division of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, has been awarded an R01 grant by the National Institutes of Health.

The four-year grant will fund a research project titled “Improving scientific rigor of renal clinical endpoints for sickle cell anemia.”

“This project will develop a novel approach to monitoring changes in kidney function over time that is specific for patients with sickle cell anemia,” Lebensburger said. “This will improve our clinical capacity to identify sickle cell anemia patients who are at risk for chronic kidney disease, who may benefit from additional prospective therapies.

Up to 70 percent of adults with sickle cell anemia will develop chronic kidney disease, and many will progress to requiring dialysis or kidney transplantation. The research will address monitoring renal disease progression in the patients and barriers for future research.