University of Cyprus: Promising Discovery for Alport Syndrome Treatment

Researchers from the Center of Excellence for Biobanking and Biomedical Research biobank.cy and the Medical School of the University of Cyprus have published new data in Kidney International regarding a potential treatment for Alport syndrome.

The research, published in the leading scientific journal in the field of nephrology, presents promising findings for this rare hereditary kidney disease. The researchers, led by Dr. Konstantinos Deltas, Professor of Medicine and Molecular Genetics, described a new mechanism of disease progression in 2014.

Subsequently, they created an animal model of the most common genetic variant of Alport syndrome found in Cypriot patients. The administration of the substance 4-phenylbutyric acid (4-PBA) to the experimental animals showed significant improvement in the progression of the disease compared to those who received a placebo.

Dr. Deltas emphasized that the publication in Kidney International opens new perspectives for the therapeutic approach to Alport syndrome. The research was conducted as part of the doctoral dissertation of Mr. Pavlos Ioannou, under the guidance of Dr. Christoforos Odiatis.

The study was co-funded by various organizations, including the Alport Syndrome Foundation of the United States and the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation (IDEK). Professor Deltas' team continues to seek funding to expand research and confirm the results before human clinical trials.

The Center of Excellence biobank.cy aims to contribute to improving the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, based on a cutting-edge biomedical research infrastructure.