Suffolk Reporter

Fighting infections while dealing with chronic diseases poses significant challenges, as highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic. A study led by Stony Brook Medicine reveals that advanced kidney disease affects the survival of B cells, which are crucial for producing antibodies to combat microbes. This reduction in immune response is particularly notable against the influenza virus.

Published in Nature Communications, the research was spearheaded by Partha Biswas, a professor at Stony Brook University’s Renaissance School of Medicine. The team sought to understand why individuals with kidney disease struggle to mount an effective immune response. They focused on uremia, a condition marked by toxic metabolite accumulation due to impaired kidney filtration.

Kidney disease significantly impacts immune function and is linked with increased infection risk and mortality. Infections rank as the second leading cause of death among these patients, with about 20% succumbing to them according to the International Society of Nephrology. During the Covid-19 pandemic, those with kidney disease faced mortality rates up to ten times higher than individuals with normal kidney function.

Clinical studies have consistently shown poor B cell-mediated antibody responses in people with kidney disease post-infection or vaccination. However, understanding why remains elusive. “Most studies linking kidney disease with abnormal B cell response were either performed in kidney transplant patients or are correlative in nature,” explained Biswas.

The researchers employed a well-characterized murine model of kidney disease that progresses into renal dysfunction. Both healthy mice and those afflicted were immunized or infected with influenza to trigger a germinal center response essential for developing protective antibodies.

Biswas noted that their findings provide insights into how kidney disease hampers protective B cell responses during infections and vaccinations. The study's outcomes could guide strategies for generating effective antibody responses following vaccinations in individuals suffering from this condition.

The team plans further research using this experimental system to explore inadequate SARS-CoV-2 vaccine responses among those with kidney disease, potentially extending implications for other respiratory viruses and bacterial infections common in these patients.

This research received support from various National Institutes of Health grants awarded to Dr. Biswas and involved collaboration with scientists from the University of Pittsburgh and Medical College of Georgia.