An experimental drug designed to help heart tissue recover from damage may have an unexpected benefit — it could also help heal injured kidneys, according to new laboratory research.
The drug, known as AD-NP1, is being developed at UCLA and recently received approval to begin early human trials focused on heart treatment. It works by blocking a protein called ENPP1, which interferes with the body’s natural healing process and can prevent full recovery after a heart attack.
Curious whether the same protein played a role in kidney disease, UCLA researchers examined kidney tissue samples from patients with chronic kidney disease. They discovered that ENPP1 was present at higher concentrations in diseased kidney tissue compared to healthy tissue.
To test their theory further, the team induced kidney injuries in two groups of mice — normal mice and mice genetically engineered to lack the ENPP1 protein. Both groups showed initial damage, but after several weeks, the mice without ENPP1 demonstrated noticeably better kidney repair, less scarring, and improved overall kidney function. The findings were published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
In a follow-up experiment, researchers gave AD-NP1 to normal mice after inducing kidney damage. Just one week later, those mice showed measurable improvements in kidney function and healing.
Study leader Arjun Deb of UCLA explained the underlying science in a statement, noting that the ENPP1 protein disrupts key pathways cells rely on to produce energy.
