Kidney disease is a national health care problem, with potentially devastating consequences for patients and their families. Most kidney diseases are characterized by their relentless progression to kidney failure, and unfortunately, there are few treatments that reliably halt this course. The number of Canadians who rely on kidney replacement dialysis therapy to survive has more than doubled over the last decade, and experts are predicting a growing epidemic of chronic kidney disease in Canada.

Established in 2000, the Kidney Research Centre (KRC) is Canada’s first research facility devoted exclusively to the investigation of diseases that attack the kidney. It is affiliated with the Ottawa Health Research Institute, the University of Ottawa, and The Ottawa Hospital. KRC scientists and clinician researchers are taking a lead role nationally in developing new strategies to improve detection and treatment of renal disease. They are also committed to training the next generation of kidney research leaders, including graduate students and research fellows from Canada and from around the world.

In 2002, after an intense and competitive review process, the KRC was awarded a grant of $8.6 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Innovation Trust to construct and equip a new 13,000 square foot facility. In 2007, the Centre officially opened in a new building at the University of Ottawa’s Smyth Road Campus, connected to the General Campus of The Ottawa Hospital. The new facility includes updated research laboratories, a state-of-the-art tissue analysis lab, a cell culture facility and room for up to three additional scientists. It will be one of the largest centres in North America dedicated to the study of kidney diseases.