Awards

Rebecca Geddes Receives 2022 IRIS Early Career Award

The 2022 IRIS Early Career Award, for work advancing small animal nephrology has been awarded to Dr. Rebecca Geddes in recognition of her studies into calcium phosphate homeostasis and the derangements that occur in cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The award is generously sponsored by Zoetis with a prize of 10 000 euros to support her ongoing research activity.

The IRIS (Early Career) Award was presented at the recent ECVIM congress in Gothenburg, Sweden (on 2nd Sept 2022) by the current Chair of the IRIS Awards Committee, Harriet Syme, herself a previous recipient of the award.

The International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) was created in 1998 to advance the scientific understanding of kidney disease in small animals. The IRIS board currently consists of 16 members representing 8 different countries. Additionally, from this year forwards a new IRIS Ambassador role has been created to represent veterinary communities in non-English speaking regions that are not otherwise represented.

Dr. Geddes graduated from Cambridge Veterinary School then spent time in veterinary practice working towards a certificate in feline practice before joining the Royal Veterinary College, London where she completed first a PhD, then an internship and residency in small animal internal medicine and is now employed as a lecturer with a focus on feline clinical research. Much of her work has centred around the regulation of calcium and phosphate – and how this is deranged in cats with CKD. In particular she has shown the prognostic importance of the phosphate-lowering hormone, fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23), and that elevated concentrations of this hormone can serve as an indicator of increased phosphate load within the body, and the requirement for dietary therapy to address this.

On receiving the award Dr Geddes responded with the following remarks: "It was an absolute honour and pleasure to win the 2022 IRIS prize! I plan to use the award money to fund my developing research into calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis in cats." Further details of the award, please contact Harriet Syme hsyme@rvc.ac.uk, chair of the IRIS Awards Committee.

Jessica Quimby, DVM, PhD, DACVIM

Jessica Quimby, DVM, PhD, DACVIM from the USA has focused her research on feline chronic kidney disease. After spending time in feline-only private practice, she returned to the university setting determined to advance the state of knowledge for cats with chronic kidney disease. She completed an internal medicine residency and a PhD focused on this disease. In 2018, she was an Associate Professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine of Ohio State University.

Over the 5-year period under consideration for the IRIS prize, Jessica published over 25 articles with relevance to the field of nephrology. While the work that Jessica has done on stem cell therapy as a potential treatment for CKD has attracted a lot of attention in the veterinary media, perhaps even more important contributions have been made in evaluating treatments that reduce patient morbidity. In particular, her meticulous evaluation of how we can improve appetite and reduce nausea in cats with CKD is especially noteworthy. Her work objectively evaluating some of the treatments that have been advocated for years without any real clinical proof of efficacy, has resulted in real changes to clinical practice.

The 2018 IRIS Award was presented at the ECVIM meeting in Rotterdam by IRIS Senior Vice-President Claudio Brovida. Dr. Quimby gave an excellent IRIS Award Lecture summarizing many of the outstanding contributions she has made to feline nephrology.

Dominique Paepe Finch DVM, Dipl ECVIM-CA, PhD

Dr. Dominique Paepe from Belgium has conducted research within nephrology and related areas and has published over 20 articles relevant to veterinary nephrology during the last 5 years. Her focus has been broad, with a major interest in screening for early feline chronic kidney disease, which was also the title of her PhD thesis in 2015.

Her research includes investigations of novel techniques of potential value for research and clinics, as well as ways to optimize traditional clinical tools. Of particular interest has been assessment of kidney function in endocrine disease. Most of the research was conducted in the Department of Medicine and Clinical Biology of Small Animals at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Ghent University, where she is currently professor in internal medicine.

The award was presented during the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ECVIM) Congress in Göteborg, Sweden on September 8th, 2016

Natalie Finch BVSc, PhD, MRCVS
Senior clinical training scholar in Feline Medicine, School of Veterinary Sciences, Bristol University.

The 2013 winner of the IRIS Award is Natalie Finch, who is being recognized for her outstanding contributions to the field of veterinary nephrology. Her continuing research goals are to better understand factors initiating feline chronic kidney disease and to facilitate its diagnosis at an earlier stage. The price was awarded by the International Renal Interest Society at the annual meeting of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ECVIM) in Liverpool, United Kingdom on September 12, 2013.

Natalie completed the majority of the work for which she received the award during a clinical research scholarship at the Royal Veterinary College, London, where she worked in collaboration with Professor Elliott's group. She is currently a senior clinical training fellow in Feline Medicine at the School of Veterinary Sciences, Bristol University.

Rosanne Jepson BVSc (Dist), MVetMed, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, MRCVS
Lecturer in Small Animal Internal Medicine, Clinical Sciences and Services, Royal Veterinary College London

The International Renal Interest Society announced the winner of the IRIS Award 2011 at the annual meeting of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ECVIM) in Maastricht, Netherlands on September 6, 2012.

The IRIS Award, given to support the research of a younger scientist, was presented to Dr. Rosanne Jepson, for her groundbreaking contributions in feline nephrology examining the importance of proteinuria in disease progression.

Gilad Segev DVM, Dipl ECVIM-CA
Lecturer of Veterinary Internal Medicine and Head, Department of Small Animal Internal Medicine; Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

Dr. Segev (shown here receiving the 2009 IRIS Award from Dr. Scott Brown, IRIS Board Member) has focused his clinical interests and research in nephrology and has recently established a hemodialysis program at the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine in Israel. Most recently, he established a novel scoring system which effectively predicts, at the time of hospital admission, the probability for survival in dogs treated with renal replacement therapy for the management of acute kidney injury. It is anticipated that this approach to outcome assessment will have wider application to both dogs and cats with acute kidney injury that are not managed by hemodialysis. He has also studied hyperkalemia associated with the use of therapeutic renal diets and aluminum toxicity in the management of hyperphosphatemia in patients with CKD.

Research interests

• Scoring system for patients with acute kidney injury managed by haemodialysis

• Amyloidosis

• Hyperkalaemia associated with renal diets in dogs with CKD

• Aluminimum accumulation and side effects in dogs managed with aluminium-based phosphate binders

• Pharmacokinetics and efficacy of mannitol administration to healthy dogs

• Correlation of GFR, urine production and fractional excretion of electrolytes with survival in dogs with acute kidney injury

Segev G, Kass PH, Francey T & Cowgill LD
A novel clinical scoring system for outcome prediction in dogs with acute kidney injury managed by haemodialysis. JVIM 2008; 22: 301-308

Segev G, Bandt C, Francey T & Cowgill LD
Aluminimum toxicity following administration of aluminium-based phosphate binders in 2 dogs with renal failure. JVIM 2008; 22: 1432-1435

Berg RIM, Francey T & Segev G
Resolution of acute kidney injury after lily (Lilium lancifolium) intoxication. JVIM 2007; 21: 857-859

Segev G, Yas-Natan E, Shlosberg A & Aroch I
Alpha-chloralose poisoning in dogs and cats: a retrospective study of 33 canine and 13 feline confirmed cases. Vet Journal 2006; 172: 109-113

Segev G, Baneth G, Levitin B, Shlosberg A & Aroch I
Accidental poisoning of 17 dogs with lasalocid. Vet Record 2004; 155: 174-176

Barrak Pressler DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM
Assistant Professor, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Ohio State University

How did you first become interested in nephrology?

My interest in nephrology began in veterinary school in major part due to a current member of the IRIS board, Dr. Larry Cowgill. While a student at the University of California at Davis, Dr. Cowgill announced on the first day of our introductory small animal internal medicine course that the most diseased kidney in existence was still smarter than any of us sitting in the classroom. I took this as a personal challenge to master this organ system, and in the ensuing nine years Dr. Cowgill has only been proven correct again and again. During my senior clinical rotations I helped manage patients on the hemodialysis service with Dr. Cowgill, further increasing my interest in nephrology. Finally and most importantly, my mentor at North Carolina State University, Dr. Shelly Vaden, allowed me to collaborate and eventually lead studies in both clinical and basic science nephrology, and provided me with the foundation for becoming an independent clinical investigator.

What particular areas of Nephrology interest you?

Although I find all areas of nephrology fascinating, I am particularly interested in the pathogenesis, early diagnosis, and treatment of glomerular diseases in dogs, cats, and people. My basic science research program has been focused on identifying immunogenic proteins in animals and people with glomerular disease that could be initiators of disease; this work is based on a new theory of autoimmunity developed in the laboratory where I have been conducting my PhD work. Additional research interests include the possibility that autoantibodies specific for non-renal proteins may cause some glomerular diseases. I have explored the early diagnosis of glomerular disease by detection of microalbuminuria, and am continuing research into the significance of low urine albumin concentrations in various disease states.

How has the IRIS award helped you?

As a young investigator with a fledgling research program it can be difficult to obtain grant funding from extramural sources without having preliminary data to support my hypotheses. The IRIS award has provided me with the resources I need to perform initial experiments that will serve as the preliminary data for later larger studies. Specific studies I have used the IRIS award to fund include investigation of normal leukocyte populations in kidneys of dogs, searching for gene mutations in dogs with spontaneous renal cell carcinoma, and identification of autoantibodies in cats with hyperthyroidism and renal disease treated with antithyroidal drugs.

Research Interests

• Small animal nephrology and urology

  • Canine and feline glomerular disease

  • Glomerular filtration rate measurement

  • Primary renal neoplasms and renal lymphoma

  • Non-bacterial (algal and fungal) urinary tract infections

• Clinical and translational immunology

  • Thionamide-induced anti-myeloperoxidase autoantibody formation in cats

  • Innate immunity of the canine and feline urinary tract

  • Renal disease-associated alterations in the peripheral lymphocyte repertoire

Studies of complementary proteins in people with glomerular disease.

Pressler BM, Pendergraft WF, Astern JM, Jennette JC, Falk RJ, Preston GA. Complementary proteins may play a role in the immunogenesis of anti-glomerular basement membrane disease. J Am Soc Nephrol 2005;16:210A (abstract).

Yang JJ, Pressler BM, Pendergraft WF, Nester CM, Jennette CJ, Falk RJ, Preston GA. Complementary PR3 peptide (cPR3138-169) triggers IFN-γ production by CD4+ T cells from patients with PR3-ANCA-disease. J Am Soc Nephrol 2005;16:7A (abstract).

Pressler BM, Pendergraft WF, Astern JA, Jennette CJ, Preston GA, Falk RJ. Evidence for autoantigen complementarity in anti-glomerular basement membrane disease. Twelfth International Vasculitis and ANCA Workshop. Heidelberg, Germany. June 2005 (abstract).

Astern JA, Pressler BM, Pendergraft WF, Trent CM, Jennette JC, Preston GA, Falk RJ. Evidence that complementary proteins may play a role in the immunogenesis of MPO-ANCA. Twelfth International Vasculitis and ANCA Workshop. Heidelberg, Germany. June 2005 (abstract).

Yang JJ, Pressler BM, Pendergraft WF, Nester CM, Jennette CJ, Falk RJ, Preston GA. Complementary PR3 peptide activates CD4+ cells from patients with PR3-ANCA-disease. Twelfth International Vasculitis and ANCA Workshop. Heidelberg, Germany. June 2005 (abstract).

Pendergraft WF, Pressler BM, Jennette JC, Falk RJ, Preston GA. Autoantigen complementarity: a new theory implicating complementary proteins as initiators of autoimmune disease. J Mol Med 2005;83:12-25.

Studies of urine albumin in dogs.

Pressler BM, Vaden SL, Jensen WA, Simpson D. Detection of canine microalbuminuria using semi-quantitative test strips designed for use in human urine. Vet Clin Pathol 2002;31:56-60.

Pressler BM, Proulx DR, Williams LE, Jensen WA, Vaden SL. Urine albumin concentration is increased in dogs with lymphoma or osteosarcoma. J Vet Intern Med; 2003;17:404 (abstract).

Pressler BM, Vaden SL, Jensen WA, Simpson D. Prevalence of microalbuminuria in dogs evaluated at a referral veterinary hospital. J Vet Intern Med 2001;15:300 (abstract).

Vaden SL, Pressler BM, Lappin MR, Jensen WA. The effects of urinary tract inflammation and sample blood contamination on urine albumin and total protein concentrations. Vet Clin Pathol 2004:33;14-19.

Studies of uncommon urinary tract pathogens in dogs.

Pressler BM, Gookin JL, Sykes JE, Wolf AE, Vaden SL. Urinary tract manifestations of protothecosis in dogs. J Vet Intern Med 2005;19:115-119.

Pressler BM, Vaden SL, Lane IF, Cowgill LD, Dye JA. Candida spp. urinary tract infections in 13 dogs and 7 cats-predisposing factors, treatment, and outcome. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc 2003;39:263-270.

Study of computed tomography of uroliths.

Pressler BM, Mohammadian LA, Li E, Vaden SL, Levine JF, Mathews KG, Robertson ID. In vitro prediction of urolith mineral composition using computed tomographic mean beam attenuation measurements. Vet Radiol Ultrasound 2004;45:189-197.

Andrea Zatelli DMV
Clinica Veterinaria Pirani, Reggio Emilia, Italy

Reggio Emilia 09/06/2005

I am very honoured for having been elected winner of the IRIS Award, 2005. This prize was given to me for the research conducted in the area of early diagnosis of kidney disease. The use of urinary proteins as biomarkers for detection of kidney disease is well known in human beings and, at present, we have evidence that in dogs some glomerular and tubular proteins are related to renal histopathological findings. Early detection of nephropathy assumes a central role in some early stages of renal diseases (IRIS CKD stages 1 and 2). These animals generally do not exhibit clinical signs and potentially may benefit from a treatment to slow down the progression of the disease.

A qualitative evaluation of urinary proteins in all patients with a persistent abnormal protein loss (UPC > 0.5) can provide useful information in localization of renal damage. With this work it was shown for the first time that the qualitative assessment of proteinuria with SDS-AGE shows a high sensitivity (100%) in detection of glomerular and tubulointerstitial damage. SDS-AGE identification of protein bands in the region of 12.000 and/or 15.000 Daltons is strongly related to the severity of damage of the tubulointerstitial compartment (sensitivity 100%; specificity 100%). SDS-AGE as a screening test for early detection of glomerular disease (identification of protein band in area of 155.000 Daltons) should be performed in all urine samples of dogs with 0.5 < UPC < 1. On the basis of these results, I believe that the diagnostic work-up of nephropathic dogs could be improved by the qualitative evaluation of proteinuria.

Abstracts

Free light-chain proteinuria and normal renal histopathology and function in 11 dogs exposed to Lleishmania infantum, Ehrlichia canis, and Bbabesia canis. (PDF, 6 kB)

Diagnostic relevance of qualitative proteinuria evaluated by use of sodium dodecyl sulfate-agarose gel electrophoresis and comparison with renal histologic findings in dogs. (PDF, 5 kB)

Echo-assisted percutaneous renal biopsy in dogs. A retrospective study of 229 cases. (PDF, 4 kB)

Glomerular lesions in dogs infected with Leishmania organisms. (PDF, 4 kB)

Frederic Jacob DVM, Ph.D, Dipl. ACVIM
Veterinary specialist at Atlantic Veterinary Internal Medicine of Towson, Towson

Frederic Jacob is a graduate of the University of Montreal and grew up in Quebec, Canada. After obtaining his veterinary medical degree in 1995, he pursued an internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at Washington State University. In 1996, he was accepted in a combined Residency/PhD program in Veterinary Internal Medicine at the University of Minnesota. In 2000, Dr. Jacob was certified as a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (small animal). During his PhD program, Dr. Jacob and colleagues published several significant studies that helped identify key factors (such as diet, high blood pressure and increased protein in the urine) that play an important role in the progression of kidney (renal) failure, survival time and quality of life for dogs with kidney failure and other urological (kidney related) diseases. It is during his Residency/PhD program that Dr. Jacob developed his keen interest in studying hypertension and diseases of the kidneys with attention to the interactive treatment options in dogs with chronic renal diseases. In 2002, this genuine interest led him to pursue a post-doctoral fellowship to investigate the interactive role of specific areas of the brain and the kidneys in the long-term control of blood pressure. His training in internal medicine and special interest in urological diseases of dogs and cats is complemented by the dedicated staff of the Atlantic Veterinary Internal Medicine group in Towson.

Abstracts

Association of initial proteinuria with morbidity and mortality in dogs with spontaneous chronic renal failure (PDF File, 78 KB)

Association between initial systolic blood pressure and risk of developing a uremic crisis or of dying in dogs with chronic renal failure (PDF-File, 77 KB)

Clinical evaluation of dietary modification for treatment of spontaneous chronic renal failure in dogs (PDF-File, 65 KB)

Chris Adin DVM, Dipl ACVS
Associate Professor Small Animal Surgery, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus

Research Interests

• Organ preconditioning and manipulation of the heme oxygenase system

• Renal transplantation and organ preservation

• Novel surgical devices and minimally invasive surgical techniques

• Portosystemic shunts

• Urinary incontinence

Abstracts

Treatment and outcome of dogs with leptospirosis: 36 cases (1990-1998) (PDF, 63 KB)

Diagnostic predictors of complications and survival after renal transplantation in cats (PDF, 64 KB)

Evaluation of three peripheral arteriovenous fistulas for hemodialysis access in dogs (PDF, 64 KB)

Harriet Syme, Bsc, BVetMed, PhD, MRCVS, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ECVIM
Professor of Small Animal Internal Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences and Services,
The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, Herts

Harriet graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 1994 and then completed a Junior Clinical Training Scholarship at the RVC. She went on to do a Small Animal Internship and then a Small Animal Medicine Residency at Purdue University in the USA from 1995 to 1999. She studied for a PhD at the RVC from 1999 to 2003. Harriet gained her Diplomate ACVIM in 1999 and her Diplomate ECVIM-CA in 2002.

She was awarded the International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) Award in 2002 for her contribution to the field of veterinary nephrology & urology and the Dame Olga Uvarov award for clinical research in 2008

Research

Hattie's main research interests are diseases of the geriatric cat; namely chronic kidney disease, hypertension and hyperthyroidism. She is also interested in urological diseases of dogs including urolithiasis and incontinence.

Q&A with Harriet Syme

Describe the work for which you received the IRIS award

In 2002 I was extremely honoured to receive the IRIS award as an individual starting my career in veterinary nephrology. The prize was given for the work that had formed the basis for my PhD studying 'The epidemiology and aetiology of systemic hypertension in the cat'. The clinical material that formed the basis for this work was obtained by visiting first-opinion and charity clinics on a weekly basis. This means we were able to recruit large numbers of cats to our studies that have renal disease, hypertension, hyperthyroidism, or at times a combination of these problems. Most cats with chronic kidney disease do not get referred to specialist veterinary hospitals for further evaluation because the diagnosis of kidney disease, and institution of appropriate treatment, is well within the expertise of veterinary surgeons in general practice. As a result of this there is a paucity of information available about cats with naturally occurring renal disease.

How have you used the IRIS Award?

The IRIS award has allowed me to continue to participate in these studies, in spite of moving on to a new position as a small animal internal medicine lecturer, located at a different campus within the Royal Veterinary College. With the computer software that I have been able to buy with the funds from the award, I can now access our database of clinical case material, even though I am located at a different site. It has also meant that I have funds to do initial pilot studies without first having to apply for external funding. One of the first of these projects was to evaluate the clinical significance of urinary protein excretion in cats that were not azotaemic. The results of this work led to a number of subsequent studies of the importance of proteinuria in cats with kidney disease.

Valérie Chetboul, DVM, PhD, ECVIM-CA (cardiology)
Professor of Cardiology, National Veterinary School of Alfort (ENVA), Head of the Cardiology Unit of Alfort (UCA). Responsable for Cardiovascular Imaging at the Unit U955, National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), Paris 12 University, France.

Valérie Chetboul received the IRIS Award for her promising work on intrarenal gene therapy. As local gene therapy could be a therapeutic strategy for some renal and cardiovascular diseases, the aim of the study was to compare the short-term safety of three different routes of adenoviral vectors administration, i.e. intra-renal-ureteral route and intra-renal-arterial route with or without clamping of the renal vein, in kidneys of healthy dogs, and to compare their transduction efficiency. Two recombinant adenoviral vectors were constructed : AdCMV-bgal which contains the E. coli Lac-Z gene with a nuclear localisation signal under the control of the cytomegalovirus (CMV) immediate-early gene promoter and a control adenovirus vector (AdRSV-gD) which carries the pseudorabies virus glycoprotein gD gene under the control of the Rous sarcoma virus long terminal repeat promoter. The two kidneys of each dog were injected similarly, either with AdCMV-bgal, AdRSV-gD or a Phosphate Buffered Saline solution via one of the three intra-renal routes. All renal physiological parameters, plasma biochemical parameters, glomerular filtration rate and effective renal plasma flow (determined with exo-iohexol and p-aminohippuric acid markers), sodium and potassium excretion fractions, remained stable at Day 4 whatever the route of viral administration. No histological lesion was detected in any of the hematoxylin-eosin stained kidney sections, and there was no evidence of ischemia-reperfusion injury in the kidneys subjected to venous clamping. The intra-renal-arterial route injection of AdCMV-bgal with clamping of the renal vein resulted in a strong expression of the reporter gene in the cortex, located mainly in the interstitial cells, and in some endothelial cells, while the intra-ureteral injection of AdCMV-bgal showed beta-gal activity in the pyelic epithelial cells and the distal tubular epithelial cells in the outer stripe of the cortex. These results suggested therefore that direct renal adenovirus-mediated gene transfer is feasible in the dog and may provide a new therapeutic approach, especially when secretion of the transgene product is required in the cortical area.

In 2003 Valérie Chetboul gained a post-doctoral degree (highest French research academic diploma, HDR) and in 2011 she received the Academic Award for Research Excellence by the French Ministry of Agriculture (PEDR).

Abstracts

Short-term efficiency and safety of gene delivery into canine kidneys (PDF, 101 KB)

Penny Barber, BVM&S, PhD, DSAM(Fel), MRCVS
RCVS Specialist in Feline Medicine

A Tribute to Penny Jane Barber

It was with great sadness that I learned of the untimely death of a greatly respected colleague, Penny Barber on Wednesday 28th July 2004. Penny was the first graduate student I had the privilege of supervising in the field of veterinary nephrology at the Royal Veterinary College. She was instrumental in establishing our system for obtaining primary care case material for longitudinal study from veterinary practices in London. She joined us having spent time in general practice, and thus she knew the practical, clinical and scientific questions she wanted to pursue in her research. Penny was a highly talented clinician. She quickly developed into a researcher of immense ability and integrity. Her meticulous approach to her professional work, both in the clinic and laboratory is an example to us all – she would never compromise on standards, no matter how pressing the need to generate data.

Penny's clinical research in the area of secondary renal hyperparathyroidism and hyperphosphataemia resulted in several peer-reviewed publications highlighting the importance of this complication of the uraemic syndrome and the benefit to the patient of effective treatment. These contributions were recognized by three National Awards for her published papers and by the inaugural International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) Award in 2000. The IRIS Award recognized her potential as a young and highly promising clinical researcher in the field of veterinary nephrology. There is no doubt these accolades were richly deserved.

Penny was a Senior Lecturer at the Liverpool School and there is no doubt she was destined for a highly successful academic career, having progressed from lecturer to senior lecturer grade in the five years following her PhD studies. During this time she honed her clinical skills to the highest level and developed as a truly excellent teacher as I am sure many undergraduates will testify. For her life to end at this stage is a tragedy for us all and represents a huge loss to the veterinary community. We need talented individuals like Penny in academia to ensure the future of our subject. It was a pleasure to have known and worked with Penny and we shall miss her greatly.

Jonathan Elliott

IRIS Board Member
Professor in Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology
The Royal Veterinary College
Royal College Street
London NW1 0TU
United Kingdom

September 2004