Anjaneya Tewari, Chandigarh : A groundbreaking study led by Dr. Ashok Kumar Yadav, Additional Professor in the Department of Experimental Medicine and Biotechnology at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, has been prominently featured by the Department of Biotechnology/Wellcome Trust India Alliance. The research was spotlighted in its prestigious “Health Systems in Practice: Research Shaping Healthcare Delivery” series for advancing evidence-based approaches to kidney care in India.
The interdisciplinary study team at PGIMER brought together top experts from the departments of Experimental Medicine and Biotechnology, Nephrology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, and the School of Public Health. The project also benefited from extensive national and international collaborations with institutions including JIPMER (Puducherry), the George Institute for Global Health (New Delhi), Tufts University School of Medicine (USA), Evelina Children’s Hospital (UK), and the University of Liège (Belgium).
Addressing the Deficiencies of Western Diagnostic Equations
Dr. Yadav’s research targets a long-standing challenge in nephrology: the accurate diagnosis, monitoring, and management of kidney diseases in the Indian subcontinent. Traditionally, the equations used to estimate Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR)—the primary measure of kidney function—were developed using European and North American data.
However, these Western equations often fail when applied to the Indian population. Compared to Western demographics, Indians typically present with lower average muscle mass and markedly different dietary patterns, both of which alter creatinine levels and distort standard eGFR calculations. Accurate kidney function assessment is absolutely vital for diagnosing and staging chronic kidney disease (CKD), determining precise medication dosages, evaluating prospective kidney donors, and guiding surgical treatments.
To resolve this diagnostic discrepancy, Dr. Yadav and his team successfully recalibrated the European Kidney Function Consortium (EKFC) eGFR equation specifically for the Indian population. This recalibration marks a monumental leap toward accurate kidney disease assessment, risk stratification, and patient safety locally.
Driving Local Solutions for Global Standards
The success of this project highlights a broader, crucial message for medical research across India: clinical solutions are most effective when built around local biological and lifestyle realities. High-quality evidence generated directly from Indian populations is essential for designing diagnostic tools that are genuinely relevant, accurate, and implementable within the nation’s healthcare system.
“There is a vital need for fostering multi-institutional collaborations and sharing expertise so that the larger goals of public health can be successfully achieved,” emphasized Professor H. S. Kohli, Head of the Department of Nephrology at PGIMER, who mentored the study and facilitated its international linkages.
Prof. Dibyajyoti Banerjee, Head of the Department of Experimental Medicine and Biotechnology, highly praised the endeavor and encouraged medical faculty nationwide to undertake similar population-specific validation tasks to improve domestic healthcare delivery.
