Prognostic Imaging Biomarkers for Diabetic Kidney Disease

An MRI (or magnetic resonance imaging) scan is a radiology technique that uses magnetism, radio waves, and a computer to produce images of body structures. The MRI scanner is a tube surrounded by a circular magnet.

An ultrasound scan is a medical test that uses high-frequency sound waves to capture live images from the inside of the body.

A kidney biopsy involves taking one or more tiny pieces (samples) of the kidney to look at with special microscopes. The microscopes make it possible to see the samples in greater detail.

Positron emission tomography (PET) uses small amounts of radioactive materials called radiotracers, a special camera and a computer to help evaluate organ and tissue functions. By identifying body changes at the cellular level, PET may detect the early onset of disease before it is evident on other imaging tests.

Glycocalyx (a network of membrane proteoglycans and glycoproteins lining all blood vessels) thickness is non-invasively estimated from video clips of sublingual vessels captured using a hand held microscope. Glycocalyx is vital for vascular health; perturbations in the glycocalyx are thought to contribute to numerous vascular health complications including DKD.