It cannot be emphasized enough: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a leading cause of death globally. Fortunately, there is significant progress in the pharmacotherapy for patients with CKD, but the current  “one size fits all” approach just isn’t sufficient to arrest the loss of kidney function in many patients. New approaches are needed that take into account the  individual drug responses among  patients.

That’s why PRIME-CKD is stepping up. We are moving beyond the research lab to bring personalized medicine to daily clinical practice. We are bridging the gap between innovative research and the patients who need it most. Let’s make kidney health personalized, accessible, and effective for everyone!

Take a quick look at the highlights from the past few months: 

The start of the CKD-bioMatch trial. 

Patient inclusion for CKD-bioMatch is well in progress at the different trial sites:  

• • INCLIVA, the Health Research Institute of Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia (Spain). Read more on the progress at INCLIVA, including quotes from principal investigator Dr. Jose Luis Gorriz.
  • Steno Diabetes Center, Copenhagen (Denmark). Read insights from Steno researchers Dr. Thomas Kuemler and Dr. Marte Opseth Rygg.
  • Lund University and Skane University Hospital (Sweden). Prof. Maria Gomez, Prof. Anders Christensson and Dr. Christopher Nilsson reflect on the importance of the trial.
  • University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf (Germany). Prof. Dr. Tobias Huber and Dr. Elisabeth Meister share their excitement on the start of the trial in Hamburg. 

 Coordinator of PRIME-CKD Hiddo Heerspink (UMCG, The Netherlands) reflects on the start of the CKD-bioMatch trial that recently started: “The enrollment of the first patients into the CKD-bioMatch trial marks an important step towards a better understanding of how to personalize the treatment of CKD. This study pioneers a personalized medicine approach by using biomarkers to guide treatment, ensuring that the right drug reaches the right patient at the right time.” 

PRIME-CKD publication alerts at the start of 2026: 

• • The importance of biomarker validation in data from clinical trials was highlighted in the paper Urinary Clusterin as a Biomarker of Human Kidney Disease Progression and Response to the Endothelin Receptor Antagonist Atrasentan. Prof. Matthias Kretzler andDr. Wenjun Ju (University of Michigan) share their insights from this important study.  

• • Solid regulatory evidence on the use of biomarkers as surrogate endpoints in clinical trials is of crucial importance as a recent publication by PRIME-CKD consortium members showed. Read the recommendations from Renske Grupstra and Prof. Peter Mol in the full article. 

PRIME-CKD – 12/3/2026