Renal Injury Biomarkers in Paediatric UTIs

Paediatric urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a major cause of acute illness and a leading contributor to renal scarring and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children. Current clinical diagnostic and prognostic tools lack the precision to identify which children are at greatest risk for renal complications. Consequently, delayed interventions often result in irreversible kidney damage and significant healthcare burden. Advances in multi-omics technologies now enable a systems-level understanding of disease mechanisms, offering unprecedented opportunities for early risk prediction and precision management of renal injury.

This project proposes a multi-omics biomarker discovery and validation program integrating SomaScan® aptamer-based proteomics, liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS), genomics, and metabolomics. SomaScan enables highly multiplexed quantification of over 7,000 plasma proteins, while LC–MS/MS provides orthogonal, quantitative, and high-resolution validation of protein signatures in urine and plasma. Together, these complementary proteomic platforms will characterize molecular pathways associated with inflammation, fibrosis, and renal tissue remodeling. Multi-omics datasets will be integrated with clinical and imaging data using machine learning and network-based bioinformatics to identify predictive, non-invasive biomarkers. A prospective paediatric UTI cohort will be established for biomarker discovery and validation, with longitudinal sampling to monitor disease progression and treatment response.

This study uniquely combines SomaScan and LC–MS/MS proteomics within a multi-omics and computational framework to capture the full molecular spectrum of renal injury in paediatric UTIs. The dual-platform proteomic approach ensures both breadth and depth of protein coverage, improving reliability and translational potential. Integration of omics layers—proteomic, genomic, and metabolomic—represents an innovative systems biology strategy to develop a clinically actionable biomarker panel for precision nephrology. This project will be among the first to apply such an approach specifically to the prevention of renal complications following paediatric UTIs.

The successful implementation of this research will transform the clinical management of paediatric UTIs by enabling early prediction of renal risk, guiding individualized treatment strategies, and providing dynamic tools for disease monitoring. Beyond improving outcomes and reducing long-term healthcare costs, this project will establish a scalable, data-driven framework for biomarker discovery in other paediatric inflammatory and infectious diseases. Ultimately, it aims to integrate multi-omics precision diagnostics into routine clinical care, safeguarding renal health in children worldwide.