IRRIV - Bioengineering

Scientific activities performed in the International Renal Research Institute (IRRIV) "Bioengineering and machinery control" laboratory concern:
Dialysis monitors project and pre-industrialization support:
- Machineries accordance to international laws and standards;
- New generation standard treatments;
- Usability and useronomic parameters;
- GUI interface and usability simplicity;
- FMEA (Failure Mode Effect Analysis);
- in vitro performed Alfa Trials, simulating an in Vivo treatment criticality;
- in vivo and in vitro performed Beta Trials;
Procedures' drafting for in vivo medical machineries and/or devices applications.

Extracorporeal circulation Pumps: medical comparisons and applications (hemolysis evaluations, energetic efficiency).

Dialysers, Filters and adsorbing cartridges:
- in vivo and in vitro evaluations;
- Clinical applications for extracorporeal treatments with filters of different membranes, cut-off, sieving coefficients, adsorbing power.

Extracorporeal treatments:
- Extracorporeal circuits efficiency evaluation for patients suffering from renal, hepatic, cardiovascular damages;
- Extracorporeal pediatric circuits evaluation and planning.

Planning and experimenting in vitro trials, concerned to projects and research studies in fields such as fluid dynamics, farmacokinetics, chemistry, electrochemistry, physics, having their application in clinical field as the last purpose.

Bioengineering applied phenomenon simulation through computer software.

Clinical and bioingegneristic manuscripts drafting and producting.

Study-protocols ideations and drafting.
Data collection and statistical analysis:
- WEB platforms development ad hoc for multi-center studies data collection;
- Data analysis;
- Statistical analysis.

Trials documentary research to be submitted to ethical committees.

IRRIV - Renal genetic

In the "Rene Policistico" Clinic, the "Renal genetic diseases" laboratory also carries out research activities, which provide for:
- Patients' involvement in clinical trials. As an example, in 2012, the "POLEVER" enrollment, which called for the enrollment of 13 patients, who were in follow-up since 2010;
- Evaluation and determination of early kidney damage biomarkers;
- Polymorphism analysis for complex genetic renal diseases;
- Apoliprotein E polymorphism analysis in patients with cognitive impairment in cooperation with the Neurology Department;
- Genotype-phenotype correlations.

The laboratory uses advanced technologies, like automatic extraction and quantification of nucleic acids, DNA analysis through sequencing (Sanger sequencing), quantitative PCR and High Resolution Melt analysis.

For every molecular study not directly effectuated in our laboratory, we use to collaborate with other national or international centers, by means of sample survey dispatch. This allows uncertain nephropathies or suspected rare illness patients to be diagnosed without the need to move or to be subject to additional expanses.

IRRIV - Cellular Culture and Tissue Engineering

The Cellular biology laboratory couples Cellular Biology and Molecular Biology, responding the Institute's requirements concerning the research projects development directed to widen the knowledge about biological and cellular mechanisms involved in renal diseases, sepsis, inflammation, and cellular transformation procedures. Comprehending those procedures involved in diseases pathogenesis studied in our Institute, beyond widening the scientific knowledge, will allow to identify new therapeutic/preventive approaches.

In order to have these projects development, in the laboratory there are both preparation and optimization of cellular systems (such as monocyte, muscular and renal cellular lines), which allow an in vitro mimicking of the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in these diseases pathogenesis and allow to analyze the processes regulating either interactions, or autocrine and paracrine stimulation, or the transformation, or cellular aging, or necrosis and apoptosis processes. The Cellular Biology Laboratory works to improve the pre-clinic translational research in the field of renal diseases, in order to allow to transfer clinical-practice based biological knowledge.

The Institute research activities comprehend the following areas:
- apoptosis and necrosis cellular analysis through different techniques;
- several aspects flow cytometry analysis;
- apoptosis course signal analysis;
- cytokine detection;
- inflammatory pathways study;
- uremic toxins cellular response study;
- cellular differentiation;
- cellular DNA and RNA extraction;
- trascriptome analysis and expression studies.

IRRIV – Pharmacology

The Pharmacology section arose in a thesis project "Drug dose adjustment in extracorporeal therapies", up to become a scientific-didactic structure, interfacing research and clinical activity. Its aim is to improve pharmacological treatments in extracorporeal therapies concerning its efficacy and security. Under an experimental profile, there is the development of pharmacokinetics studies through in vitro models preparation. The aim is to mimic the extracorporeal elimination of commonly used drugs in therapeutic settings, in order to be able to take at the "patient's bedside" what it had been previously observed in the laboratory. It collaborates with the Università degli Studi di Padova, Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco, about scientific chemical-pharmaceutical perspectives. In particular, out of the performed studies, there are both "Evaluation on kinetics of Teicoplanine Removal by Polysulphone Membranes Kinetic" and the "Evaluation on Kinetics of Glicopeptyde adsorbance by Modificated Cellulose Adsorbent Column", in addition to the "Kinetics of Extracorporeal Removal of Bilirubin Metabolytes".

This section has many partnerships with some regional organizations, such as the l'Ordine dei Farmacisti della provincia di Vicenza and Federfarma, regarding the project "Pharmacy and Arterial Hypertension: Kidney Damage Prevention".

IRRIV - Healthcare economy

The branch regarding economic studies is involved in the evaluation of the cost efficacy of peritoneal dialysis treatments, with a pilot project on home medical examinations, evaluating patients' problems, with a possible update of the dialysis therapy, easing de-hospitalization, implying a reduction in costs. What is more, it is involved in analyzing the same medical examination program inspection and supervision protocol results and in evaluating dialytic patients' compliance in the achievement of the prearranged outcomes.

It is intended to:
- Analyze costs, clinical, economic and social benefits of the different renal replacement therapies (RRT), comparing the available alternatives. In particular, comparing the twoRRT: "High Flux Hemodialysis" and "on-Line Hemodiafiltration";
- State if a greater economic effort is effectively justified by better clinical results, developing the construction of applicable and useful for other specific situations "decision making models";
Analyze Vicenza Hospital Nephrology Department's consumptions and internal costs. In particular, "Evaluation about erythropoietin usage with the aim of evaluating current expenses and eventual saving opportunities, in accordance with the new legislative restrictions".

What is more, it supports other disciplines, procuring statistical contributes for medical, sanitary and epidemiological research.

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