Multi-omics Integration for Molecular Indicators of Renal Function in Diabetic Nephropathy

Project synopsis

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease, yet its diagnosis remains imprecise. Clinical markers such as eGFR and albuminuria fail to reliably identify diabetic nephropathy (DN), distinguish DN from non-diabetic kidney disease (NDKD), or capture DKD heterogeneity. Large biopsy studies show that 20–50% of patients clinically diagnosed with DKD have NDKD or mixed pathology, underscoring the need for molecular diagnostics. While circulating and urinary biomarkers improve risk stratification, they do not resolve DN-specific pathology or molecular subtypes. Leveraging advances in compartment-resolved transcriptomics and spatial proteomics, this project will define DN- and NDKD-specific molecular signatures in kidney biopsies from the PRIMETIME cohort. Integrated multi-omics analyses will identify DN molecular subtypes and derive targeted urinary proteomic signatures to enable stratification and advance precision medicine in DKD.

Framework 

The project is supported by a close collaboration between the University of Copenhagen Renal and Vascular Research Department (Mentor 1) and the Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen (Mentor 2), integrating expertise in kidney molecular biology, spatial and multi-omics profiling with clinical endocrinology and DKD patient care. This partnership provides a highly translational environment, enabling mechanistic insights from kidney biopsies to be directly linked to clinically relevant urinary biomarkers and patient stratification strategies in DKD. In addition, the mentors’ experience in teaching and supervision will support the postdoctoral fellow in developing advanced scientific, translational, and interdisciplinary research skills.

Ideal fellow candidate

  • Bioinformatics
  • Single Cell and/or Omics platforms (Spatial Omics/Proteomics/transcriptomics)
  • Omics and Computational Biology
  • Diabetic Kidney Disease & systems biology
  • Interested candidates with any of the above mentioned areas are welcome to apply for this interesting project (MIMIR-DN)

Mentor team

Basic mentor: Charlotte M. Sørensen, Associate Professor (Renal & Vascular Research), Department of Biomedical Sciences, SUND, University of Copenhagen

Clinical mentor: Dr. Frederik Persson, Head of Clinic, Diabetes Care Department, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen

Supplementary clinical mentor: Dr. Tarunveer S. Ahluwalia, Senior Researcher & Associate Professor, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen and Department of Biology, SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen

Contact 

Tarunveer S. Ahluwalia (Tarun.veer.singh.ahluwalia@regionh.dk)