Lincoln Professor Helping Shape the Future of Diabetic Kidney Disease Research
13 March 2025
Written by: Callum Thomas
As the world marks World Kidney Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of our kidneys to our overall health and reducing the frequency and impact of kidney disease, the University of Lincoln is celebrating the research of Professor Claire Hills.
Professor Hills, Professor in Renal Physiology at the University, recently played a pivotal role in shaping a mission position statement designed to address the urgent need to tackle diabetic kidney disease.
The statement, developed in collaboration with leading medical research charities Diabetes UK, Kidney Research UK, and Breakthrough T1D, outlines key recommendations to bridge existing research gaps and calls on the diabetes and kidney research communities to act upon these recommendations to ensure future research works to eliminate unfair and avoidable disparities in health.
Published in Diabetic Medicine, the main journal of Diabetes UK, the statement is a cross-disciplinary collaboration, bringing together insights from clinicians, academics, and individuals with lived experiences of diabetes-related kidney complications.
The recommendations stem from discussions at an expert workshop held at the London Offices of Diabetes UK, chaired by Professor Hills. The forum brought together representatives from the medical research charities with a shared vision to partner for change with a commitment to accelerate translational research – transforming scientific discoveries into real-world health benefits – with patient experiences at its core.
Professor Hills said: “Kidney disease develops in approximately 30-40 of people living with diabetes and is associated with high levels of morbidity and mortality. Although currently available treatments benefit these individuals, there are currently no treatments that specifically target the cause of the condition. Furthermore, the onset and progression of diabetic kidney disease is different for everyone, compounded by evidence that many people face barriers to diagnosis, treatment, and the care that they need.
“We hope that the recommendations outlined in this position statement will improve prevention, management and early detection of the condition, improving kidney health for all, whilst reducing its impact on individuals, their families as well as the NHS and the economy.”
The position statement ‘Research recommendations from the 2024 Breakthrough T1D, Diabetes UK and Kidney Research UK, diabetes and kidney disease expert workshop’ is now available to read online.
This work represents the latest in Professor Hills’ contributions to the field of diabetes research which has also seen her co-chair the first renal-themed ‘Diabetic Medicine’ Symposium at the Diabetes UK Professional Conference 2024 at the Excel Centre, alongside Dr. Janaka Karalliedde from Kings College London.
2024 also saw Professor Hills lead a special issue of Diabetic Medicine as Editor, in collaboration with guest editor Dr. Karalliedde, titled ‘From Bench to Bedside: An Integrated and Multidisciplinary Approach to Tackling Diabetic Kidney Disease’. This special issue offered a comprehensive update on basic and translational research, potential therapeutic targets, challenging clinical scenarios, and the implementation of management guidelines in patient care.