Global Kidney Patients Trials Network (GKPTN)
Background:
Kidney disease is a global health problem due to its increasing prevalence and the high burden it places on individual patients and healthcare systems. Novel treatments to reduce the risk of kidney and cardiovascular complications are thus highly desired. Innovative approaches are needed, such as structures that facilitate access to trials for interested patients, trial designs that allow the efficient testing of multiple agents and stable infrastructures that facilitate continued research activities by health services. This is crucial to accelerate the discovery of novel treatments for patients with chronic kidney disease.
Aim:
The Global Kidney Patients Trial Network (GKPTN) aims to:
- establish global infrastructure in a collaborative fashion to facilitate rapid and increased access to trials for patients with kidney disease
- improve patient outcomes by hosting embedded trials with novel designs, to efficiently test multiple agents faster and more efficiently than current approaches
Research Methodology:
The GKPTN is an international collaborative initiative to improve patient outcomes by facilitating clinical trial conduct and generation of evidence about efficacy and safety of new treatment strategies. The GKPTN is endorsed by the International Society of Nephrology and aims to work with kidney disease networks globally. The GKPTN recruits people with kidney disease who are interested in participating in clinical research, and then provides them rapid access to clinical trials as they become available. Network participants consent to be approached about participation in current or future trials, as well as be followed up at least every six months for a minimum of five years along with biobanking of blood samples at time of recruitment.
GKPTN-hosted trials are able to recruit ‘trial ready’ patients from the network, be governed in a centralised collaborative manner, and incorporate innovative trial methodology and pragmatic solutions.
The Global Kidney Clinical Trials Network concept has arisen from widespread discussions with clinicians and members of kidney disease organisations about the need for better ways to bring potential participants and trials together. It is intended that it will belong to and serve the interests of the global kidney disease community. In this spirit, the investigators are liaising and collaborating with registries and other networks of people with kidney disease. We welcome any enquiries from organisations or individuals.
By bringing patients, established sites and trials closer together, the GKPTN aims to strengthen the global kidney disease research community’s capacity to facilitate more rapid translation of new interventions from research into practice.
Current Status:
The GKPTN cohort is recruiting across 8 countries (another country will be added soon) with ongoing recruitment of participants. Currently (Feb2024) over 5300 participants are enrolled in GKPTN.
