Novo Nordisk Foundation awards DKK 200 million to new European research consortium KidMED-CKM
The Novo Nordisk Foundation is funding the new research consortium KidMED-CKM with DKK 200 million over five years. The consortium unites three internationally recognized kidney research centers in Hamburg, Aarhus and Aachen, led and coordinated by the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE). Its goal: a paradigm shift in cardiovascular–kidney–metabolic (CKM) disease, moving from managing late-stage complications toward kidney-centered precision medicine.
Cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity represent one of the greatest healthcare challenges worldwide. Although these conditions are closely interconnected, they are still largely studied and treated separately. KidMED-CKM brings together internationally recognized researchers from complementary disciplines to address this challenge by placing the kidney at the center of cardiovascular–kidney–metabolic (CKM) disease. By connecting discovery science with diagnostics and clinical translation in one integrated research pipeline, the consortium will investigate how kidney dysfunction not only results from cardiovascular and metabolic disease but also actively drives disease progression across multiple organ systems. This kidney-centered approach aims to identify the biological mechanisms underlying CKM disease and translate these discoveries into earlier diagnosis, more accurate patient stratification, and more personalized treatments.
“KidMED-CKM is an outstanding example of the close collaboration between the UKE and the University of Hamburg, together with our partners in Aarhus and Aachen. In this way, we combine excellent research, medical expertise, and international networking to break new ground in precision medicine. This funding is a great recognition of Hamburg as a center of science and sends a strong signal about its future in health research. I would like to congratulate Prof. Tobias Huber and his team on this tremendous success”, says Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren, President of the University of Hamburg.
“The medical challenges of our time can only be solved if we do not view diseases in isolation, but rather gain a better understanding of the connections between different organs and clinical pictures. KidMED-CKM exemplifies this approach: Researchers from various disciplines and European institutions are pooling their expertise to make new findings available as quickly as possible for more targeted treatment of patients. We are very pleased about the funding for this important European research consortium led by the UKE”, says Prof. Dr. Blanche Schwappach-Pignataro, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and a member of the UKE Executive Board.
„The kidney has long been underrepresented in cardiovascular and metabolic research, even though it decisively shapes how these diseases progress. With KidMED-CKM, we bring together the complementary strengths of three leading European sites to close this gap and establish a new, kidney-centered precision medicine for CKM care”, says Prof. Dr. Tobias B. Huber, CEO of KidMED-CKM and Director of the III. Department of Medicine of the UKE.
KidMED-CKM is led by CEO Prof. Dr. Tobias B. Huber together with co-site director in Hamburg (Prof. Dr. Insa M. Schmidt) and site directors in Aarhus (Prof. Dr. Henrik Birn and Prof. Dr. Rikke Nørregaard) and Aachen (Prof. Dr. Rafael Kramann and Prof. Dr. Jitske Jansen). The consortium is supported by independent scientific, translational, and patient advisory boards. Beyond its research program, KidMED-CKM will establish a sustainable ecosystem for innovation, education, and knowledge exchange in kidney research and CKM medicine across Europe.
Biobanking, spatial multi-omics, and clinical translation at the KidMED-CKM headquarters
The UKE will host the KidMED-CKM headquarters. Led by Prof. Dr. Tobias B. Huber and Prof. Dr. Insa M. Schmidt, the Hamburg site will coordinate the pan-European initiative and contribute internationally recognized expertise in translational nephrology, precision medicine, epidemiology, digital pathology, spatial multi-omics, and AI-supported biomarker discovery. With Europe's largest kidney biobanks, the Hamburg Center for Kidney Health (HCKH) and the Hamburg City Health Study (HCHS), Europe's largest population CKM cohort, the UKE contributes an exceptional research infrastructure to enable KidMED-CKM's mission of establishing kidney-centered precision medicine in CKM disease.
Wissenschaftlicher Ansprechpartner:
Prof. Dr. Tobias B. Huber
III. Department of Medicine
University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE)
Martinistraße 52
20246 Hamburg
phone: +49 (0)40 7410-53908
t.huber@uke.de
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