Publications

Abstract BACKGROUND Fibrosis is a suggested cause of graft failure and mortality among kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). Accumulating evidence suggests that collagen type VI is tightly linked to fibrosis and may be a marker of systemic fibrosis and ageing. We studied whether plasma endotrophin, a pro-collagen type VI fragment, is associated with graft failure and […]

Abstract BACKGROUND Renal fibrosis is the hallmark of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is characterized by an imbalanced extracellular matrix remodelling. Endotrophin (ETP) is a signalling molecule released from collagen type VI (COL VI). ETP can be measured by the PRO-C6 assay, which quantifies the levels of COL VI formation. ETP levels were previously associated […]

Abstract BACKGROUND Maintenance of kidney function in kidney allografts remains a challenge, as the allograft often progressively develops fibrosis after kidney transplantation. Fibrosis is caused by the accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins like type I and III collagen (COL I and III) that replace the functional tissue. We assessed the concentrations of a neo-epitope fragment […]

Abstract BACKGROUND Renal fibrosis is the hallmark of progression to end-stage kidney disease. Non-invasive biomarkers of renal fibrosis could serve as specific end points in clinical trials and improve monitoring and stratification of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). To address this, we measured markers of collagen type III turnover in urine and serum of […]

Abstract BACKGROUND The extent of renal fibrosis in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the best predictor for progression of most renal diseases. To date, no established biomarkers of renal fibrosis exist. METHODS We measured circulating and urinary-specific matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-generated collagen type I and III degradation fragments (C1M and C3M) and an N-terminal propeptide of […]