Renal Office
Royal London Hospital
Whitechapel

E1 1BB

Newham Satellite Unit

Queens Satellite Unit

St Bartholomews Satellite Unit

Whipps Cross Satellite Unit

020 3416 5000

Sarah McLean, Matron Haemodialysis, Sarah.McLean@bartshealth.nhs.uk

0207 377 7003

raj.thuraisingham@bartshealth.nhs.uk

http://www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/renal/

http://www.bartshealth.nhs.uk

Dr Katy Bennett-Richards
Dr Mark Blunden
Dr John Booth
Dr Conor Byrne
Prof Alistair Chesser
Dr Andrea Cove-Smith
Dr Hamish Dobbie
Dr Stan Fan
Dr Suzanne Forbes
Dr Ajith James
Dr Chris Kirwan
Dr Kieran McCafferty
Dr John Prowle
Dr Martin Raftery
Dr Ravi Rajakariar
Dr Nasreen Samad
Dr Raj Thuraisingham
Prof Anthony Warrens
Prof Magdi Yaqoob

Mr Roberto Cacciola
Ms Susana Fernandez-Diaz
Mr Carmello Puliatti
Mr Rajesh Sivaprakasam
Ms Cinzia Sammartino

Dr Raj Thuraisingham

The Renal Unit at Barts and the London formed with the merger of St Bartholomew's and Royal London Hospitals in the mid 1990s. Since that time the unit has grown considerably providing dialysis for over 900 patients and caring for over 800 transplant patients. The transplant program has burgeoned over the last few years with around a 120 transplants performed in the last year alone. The unit also has the largest peritoneal dialysis program in the country.
In addition, all stages and types of kidney disease are catered for with general clinics running 3-4 days a week with current waiting times for GP referrals of less the 4 weeks.
Joint / Specialist clinics provided include a low clearance clinic, a joint diabetic kidney disease clinic, a joint liver/kidney clinic, a joint kidney/blood disorder clinic, a specialist clinic for patients with suboptimal/ failing transplants, an adolescent transitional clinic with Great Ormond Street and a comprehensive Supportive Care clinic.
There is also a website with referral pathways and guidelines for GPs at www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/renal/for_clinicians.asp

The centre's basic science research laboratories are part of the Centre Translational Medicine and Therapeutics of the William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry.(http://www.whri.qmul.ac.uk/research/Translational%20Medicine.html)

UK's first Diabetic Kidney Centre is being established at the Royal London Hospital

The Academic Lead is Prof Yaqoob.

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
1. Studies of function of the heart and vasculature in chronic uraemia, employing appropriate animal models, together with use of isolated cells, vascular resistance myography, flow myography, measurements of cardiac bioenergetics using NMR spectroscopy and assessment of cytoskeletal proteins, cysteine proteases and function of individual myocardial and vascular cells employing edge-detection, video microscopy and Fura-2 and Indo-1 fluorescence.
2. Analysis of the role of L-arginine - nitric oxide pathway in the systemic effects of uraemia, employing both functional studies and endothelial cell cultures.
3. Investigation of factors mediating the impaired response to erythropoeitin (EPO) in inflammatory conditions, with particular emphasis on the role of cytokines, JAK/STAT and SOCs proteins.
4. Mechanisms of hyperglycaemia induced renal proximal tubular injury. Aim of this study is to identify the mediators of interstitial fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy using in-vitro techniques and in vivo models.
5. Effects of race, malnutrition and adequacy of dialysis on the quality of life, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, renal osteodystrophy and erythropoeitin dosage in dialysis patients
6. Role of TGF-beta, ACE, AII receptor, IL-1, IFN alpha and IL-10 polymorphism in the causation and progression of diabetic nephropathy and cardiovascular diseases in renal failure and transplant patients.
7. L-arginine transport and nitric oxide production in the lymphocytes, platelets and erythrocytes of patients with end-stage renal disease and heart failure.
8. Mechanisms of protein induced renal proximal tubular injury. Aim of this study is to identify the mediators of proximal tubular transdifferentiation and interstitial fibrosis in proteinuric renal conditions using primary human and rat tubular cells in-vitro.
9. Development of new assays (ELISA, RIA, Calorimetric) to assess the activity of NOS, arginase, calpain, caspases, PARP, peroxynitrite, oxidative stress, erythropoietin, cytokines, nucleotides etc.
10. Genetic predisposition to primary and secondary renal diseases by studying polymorphisms in several candidate molecules.
11. Mechanisms of solvent induced renal damage: Role of free radicals
12. Mediators of myocardial and renal ischemia /reperfusion injury
13. Role of stem cells in ischaemia/reperfusion injury of the heart and kidneys
14. Mechanisms of uraemia induced insulin resistance

Research Staff.
4 postdoctoral scientist (non clinical)
5 PhD students (clinical fellows)
1 PhD student (non clinical fellow)

Research Funding.
Extramural educational grants in excess of 700,000 pound sterling per annum.

There is also a very active clinical research program in peritoneal dialysis and transplantation.