Specific focus on nephrology within NorTrials cardiovascular yields results

Eide serves as the academic leader for nephrology within  the NorTrials center for cardiovascular diseases. Nephrology is the study of kidney structure, function, and diseases.

In addition to his role at NorTrials, Eide is a senior consultant at the nephrology department and head of the nephrology research group at Akershus University Hospital, associate professor at the Institute of Clinical Medicine at the University of Oslo, and chairman of the Norwegian Society of Nephrology.

"Nephrology is in an exciting period. There is growing attention to the need for preventing kidney damage by screening at-risk populations for proteins in urine, as well as  increased awareness of the kidney’s interaction with other organs. Additionally, many new medications have been added to the nephrology field in recent years," says Eide.

Norway Lagging behind

Eide and his colleagues had observed that the Norwegian nephrology community had rarely been invited to participate in clinical drug trials.

"This contrasts with some of our neighboring Nordic countries. The Danish Trial Nation Network for Nephrology has been particularly successful. They have shown that even with a smallpopulation, strong organization and national collaboration can ensure good recruitment for studies. We were inspired by this," he explains.

Heart and kidneys go hand in hand

People with cardiovascular disease have a high risk of chronic kidney disease, and vice versa. Nephrology therefore logically belongs under the cardiovascular field. In spring 2024, nephrology was formally included in the Nortrials center for cardiovascular diseases at Ahus, and a national nephrology research network was established shortly after.

The initiative yields results

"We now see that this is going to bear fruit. We are receiving more inquiries from the pharmaceutical industry, and we are getting good feedback that Norwegian nephrology is now perceived as more accessible and therefore more relevant as a partner in future clinical drug trials. We are glad to hear that," says Eide.

When NorTrials centrally receives an inquiry about a study relevant to the kidney field, it is sent to Eide, who then forwards it to his research network.

"Ous most qualified colleagues thoroughly evaluate the study and share their assessment with the network. They also fill out a feasibility form, which serves as a reference for the rest of us. This process has been successfully implemented in other Nordic countries and significantly improves efficacy within the feasibility process. The field now also benefits from early  discuss and  preparations that enhance recruitment well in advance of study initiation. Within Norwegian nephrology, everyone knows eachother – this is a great advantage we should actively leverage”, says Eide.

Favorable conditions for kidney studies in Norway

According to Eide, the Nordic countries offer good conditions for clinical drug trials in nephrology, he believes, as evidenced particularly by the activity in Denmark and Sweden.

"We have a comprehensive overview of our patient population, robust  registers, close  collaboration with primary health care providers. In addition, we offerhighly specialized services such as dialysis, centralized transplant activities, and free consultations for patients. By viewing Norwegian nephrology as a unified research network, we can offer high-level research expertise at a high international level across various fields including dialysis, transplantation, glomerulonephritis, hypertension, and metabolic diseases in the kidney. With the support of the NorTrials cardiovascular and NorTrials as a whole we can support study nurses at other centers and leverage, data capture algorithms to more efficiently identify suitable patients. This puts Norwegian nephrology in a stronger position  to accommodate a larger number of studies than we did before," he promises.

Ivar Anders Eide can be reached at ivar.anders.eide@ahus.no and phone + 47 67966481.