Virginia Tech chemist makes strides in drug discovery for chronic kidney disease
One in seven U.S. adults — about 37 million people — are affected by chronic kidney disease, a condition where kidneys are damaged and cannot filter blood as they should. This causes a host of nasty symptoms and can lead to further worsening health conditions.
Even more U.S. adults are affected by diabetes and high blood pressure, two of the most common causes for kidney disease. Notwithstanding the poor quality of life, chronic kidney disease’s cost to the health care system is also a major problem, estimated to be $87.2 billion in 2019.
Professor Webster Santos recognizes the gravity of the situation, and wants to help.
Santos’ scientific career revolves around drug discovery. His medicinal chemistry lab is dedicated to the cause, researching biological pathways that could lead to the ultimate goal of helping others by developing new medicine — bench to bedside, so to speak.
Santos, professor of chemistry, is developing a molecule to disrupt the cellular signaling that occurs when a patient has kidney disease. By targeting the transporter responsible for the cellular signaling, a protein called Spns2, Santos and his research team can inhibit this step in the signaling process and fight back against the negative immune response that results in kidney disease.
The potential of this drug could have significant impacts, both to the health of patients and the economic pressure that comes with hospital stays. Santos cites the example of patients going in for cardiac bypass surgery, where they are at a high risk for acute kidney injury and eventually chronic kidney disease. Further, kidney complications could mean longer hospital stays, resulting in more pain and a higher hospital bill.
Santos sees a better future.
“We could pre-treat them with our molecule because we know the signaling cascade that’s going to happen. We can block it before it even happens — go to the source and fix the problem,” said Santos, who also directs the Virginia Tech Center for Drug Discovery, which is affiliated with the Fralin Life Sciences Institute.
But the road to actually having a drug ready for real patients is long, filled with hurdles and complications. To see the drug progress, Santos and his group work closely with University of Virginia collaborators Professor Kevin Lynch and Mark Okuza. Lynch is a widely recognized expert in the field including the S1P transporter, Spns2. Okusa, who directs the UVA Medical Center’s Division of Nephrology, is a key opinion leader in nephrology and a former president of the American Society of Nephrology.
Support from a $2.4 million R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health means that Santos can keep advancing this possible drug. It represents a promising direction toward his ultimate mission of drug discovery.
“This award and this project — it gives us an even better shot on goal. It allows us to validate our ideas, not just in cells, but also in animals, and hopefully, in the future, with people,” said Santos, a College of Science Faculty Fellow.
The foundational research on the Spns2 transporter could also illuminate other areas and possibilities for new drugs. It sparks more questions that lead to even more interesting findings. “The more you know, the more there is to study. The challenging part is finding the most meaningful thing — the right target,” Santos said.
