Vivek Bhalla, MD, FASN, FAHA

Motherfucking wind farms…

Dr. Alessia Fornoni @alessiafornoni.bsky.social University of Miami describing her journey as a physician scientist, mentor, and drug developer- from a small town in northern Italy to her many roles today

Drs. Prabir Roy-Chaudry @asnkidney.bsky.social president of the ASN, @uncchapelhill.bsky.social as well as Drs. Rasheed Gbadegesin @dukepress.bsky.social and Emmanuel Opara @wakeforest.bsky.social kicking off the KUH R25 symposium @dknet.org at UNC chapel hill today

‘It’s a nightmare.’ U.S. funding cuts threaten academic science jobs at all levels “There is a lot of pressure to essentially leave the country or not pursue research,” one Ph.D. student says

“There is a lot of pressure to essentially leave the country or not pursue research.” scim.ag/3Gz4VWW

Stem Cell–Derived, Fully Differentiated Islets for Type 1 Diabetes | NEJM Zimislecel is an allogeneic stem cell–derived islet-cell therapy. Data on the safety and efficacy of zimislecel in persons with type 1 diabetes are needed. We conducted a phase 1–2 study of zimisle...

Presented at the #ADASciSessions:

Zimislecel is an allogeneic stem cell–derived islet-cell therapy. This phase 1–2 study supports the hypothesis that zimislecel can restore physiologic islet function and thus treat persons with type 1 diabetes. Full study results: nej.md/3ZGupbv

Congratulations to the #StanDOM recipients of the 2025 Stanford Medicine Awards, who were recognized for their outstanding contributions to medical education & leadership during the June 14 @stanfordmedicine.bsky.social graduation.

Atul Butte died yesterday.
The world lost a giant.
A big bear of a man.
With a huge smile.
With love for everyone.
With energy that could power a room.
I loved everything about Atul.
I loved how he was always happy.
I loved how excited he was about science and helping people.

I don't care if these monstrous ICE raids are a "federal operation". This is authoritarian violence, plain and simple.

award winner list

Congrats to all the @asnkidney.bsky.social lifetime and mid-career awardees!

@ksusztak.bsky.social @genetickidneydoc.bsky.social @shinamenon.bsky.social @michellejtx.bsky.social and everyone else!

Congratulations to all who advocated and thank you to all those who supported!!
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
@WHO.int
@ISN.org
#Guatamala

@CharuMalik.bsky.social
Ifeoma Ulasi
Magda Machalska

@UKKidney.org
@kidneycareuk.org
@KidneyResearch.org

#kidneyhealthforall
#WHA78

The Dutch are responsible for many wonderful things, but are any as great as the stroopwafel and coffee combo? 🇳🇱☕️🧇

Zosia is very jealous

Wanpen- interesting …do you have a reference? I believe baxdrostat is via CYP3A4? (Ie similar to eplerenone and tacrolimus, and therefore concerns with things like diltiazem and paxlovid)

A graph showing the least-squares mean changes from baseline (randomization) in the 24-hour average ambulatory systolic blood pressure at 12 weeks.

In the Advance-HTN phase 2b trial of the aldosterone synthase inhibitor lorundrostat in participants with uncontrolled hypertension, lorundrostat was associated with greater reductions in blood pressure than placebo. Full trial results: nej.md/4ipbCIf

#MedSky #CardioSky

Amen!

Kidney disease is a worldwide killer. Treat it that way The international community has a golden opportunity to start reining in the escalating, mostly ignored global burden of chronic kidney disease.

Kidney disease should be recognised on WHO's priority list of non-communicable diseases, alongside cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes

https://go.nature.com/4lLJ5iY

but this could change soon with ARCTIC, PACIFIC trials

Full disclosure: SABs for AZ, Bayer

aldosterone sensitivity, etc.

Regarding ASIs vs MRAs, I was a big believer in eplerenone with its fewer side effects but have accumulated more and more folks where it’s simply not potent enough. This creates a lane for ASIs. nsMRAs (possibly MRAs in general) still have the upper hand for GDMT 2/n

Very exciting news…..success with this broad cohort continues a slow and steady march for blockade of aldosterone signaling as a major tool in hypertension more broadly (not just obvious cases of PA) by likely capturing common cases of subclinical PA, aldosterone dysregulation, 1/n

Lorundrostat Efficacy and Safety in Patients with Uncontrolled Hypertension | NEJM Aldosterone dysregulation contributes to hypertension. Lorundrostat is an aldosterone synthase inhibitor, but data on its efficacy and safety in patients with hypertension are limited. In this mult...

The ASIs have arrived

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

Aldosterone synthase inhibitors - first one to finish the phase 3 line

#Lorundrostat #Hypertension

Lorundrostat Efficacy and Safety in Patients with Uncontrolled Hypertension | NEJM Aldosterone dysregulation contributes to hypertension. Lorundrostat is an aldosterone synthase inhibitor, but data on its efficacy and safety in patients with hypertension are limited. In this mult...

Aaand it’s official, we have a new antihypertensive class!!!! 🎉🍾🎊

I like this RCT design in particular because it was open to both uncontrolled not-yet-resistant AND resistant hypertensive patients, opening to door to prescribe it as an earlier line agent

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

The Women's Health Initiative is one of the most impactful studies in US history. It's been ongoing since the '90s, continually providing new insights, and NIH is cutting funding. Regional Centers are being closed. The Clinical Coordinating Center is now in limbo. For what? Utterly asinine... 🤬

Finally making the news www.ctvnews.ca/health/artic...

I wonder how many of us have switched to HCTZ versus indapamide
Interesting natural experiment in the works

#Hypertension #DrugShortage

ATTN All. Need some money for your EDU project?? Win $2,000 for your project

The Role of the Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease Educational Tools Contest Sponsored by the SCILL Committee of the AHA Council on the Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease

professional.heart.org/en/professio...

Geneticist Wins Women’s Health Prize for Pioneering Discoveries About Severe Morning Sickness | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Marlena Fejzo’s groundbreaking work implicates the hormone GDF15 as a key player in this understudied disorder.

Excellent news as the woman behind the discovery of the hormone being severe morning sickness is awarded science prize🧪 Thanks to @helensalisbury.bsky.social for sharing

Finally, top scientists speak up against the Trump administration in a letter signed by 2,000 elected members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: "the nation's scientific enterprise is being decimated"; see related NYT coverage here:
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/31/s...

Do patients want to be screened for primary aldosteronism: YES

How much PA can be identified with a direct-to-patient approach: A LOT

Can this approach be implemented nationwide: YES

@JeniferBrown

www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/...

After facing years of bipartisan criticism from Congress, the Department of Health and Human Services late last year hired a transplant surgeon to help implement fixes to the system that regulates organ transplants.  Dr. Jayme Locke, who left her post at the University of Alabama Birmingham for the federal job, was recently fired as a probationary worker. Transplant experts had hoped she would preside over a new era of making improvements instead of just studying them. Dr. Locke declined to comment. HHS didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Ugh

Dr Jayme Locke (you may know from the XenoTransplant story) hired from UAB to fix the transplant system (that is abysmally awful if you have followed @sumitmohan.bsky.social )

But she was ‘probabtionary’ so DOGE fired her 🤦🏽‍♂️

@wsj.com story on 🍎 News $wall apple.news/Ans49CVgKQy-...

#NephSky

Contribution of vaccination to improved survival and health: modelling 50 years of the Expanded Programme on Immunization Since 1974 substantial gains in childhood survival have occurred in every global region. We estimate that EPI has provided the single greatest contribution to improved infant survival over the past 50...

Nothing will kill more children than the ongoing decimation of CDC, NIH, and USAID work to lift vaccine uptake in the US and world.

Child survival rose 75% in the last 50 years. Vaccines account for 40% of that. Measles vax alone was 60% of the benefit. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Happy World Kidney Day! Dr. Zhongwei Li & the synthetic kidney project team are on a roll! The Li Lab has recently developed an organoid model that mimics the human kidney’s collecting duct. Please give $25 to fund life-saving research. ukrocharity.org/donate/ Image Credit: Carrie Zhang/Li Lab

This #InternationalWomensDay, let’s highlight the impact of kidney disease on women.
Women with CKD face challenges in fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum care. With rising cases & limited guidance, building obstetric nephrology expertise is critical.
#AccelerateAction #IWD2025 @unwomen.bsky.social