AFiRM Study Participant Newsletter - Summer 2026
The AFiRM study has reached an important milestone, with all MRI scans now completed. This marks a significant stage in the study, and the research team is now concentrating on analysing the imaging data collected from participants throughout the project.
Study progress
A total of 351 participants completed their two-year follow-up, while 306 participants completed their second MRI scan. So far, 228 participants have completed their three-year follow-up, and 73 have completed their four-year follow-up. This means that we are on track to complete all study visits by the end of 2027.
MRI findings presented internationally
Findings from the AFiRM study have already been shared with the international research community.
In May, Professor Sue Francis from the University of Nottingham presented AFiRM research at the ISMRM (International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine) Conference in Cape Town, South Africa.
Professor Francis made a “power pitch” - a short 2-minute presentation of the key facts related to AFiRM so far. For those interested in the heavy science of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, her talk focussed on:
“Demonstration of multiparametric renal MRI protocol in CKD and the importance of accounting for B1-field inhomogeneity to reduce technical variance, providing improved measures for use in the future study of whether MRI can track disease progression better than conventional biomarkers.”
Progress with kidney biopsy analysis
Alongside the MRI work, the study team has completed the collection, staining and imaging of kidney biopsy samples. Researchers are now analysing these biopsy images and comparing them with MRI findings.
This comparison will help improve understanding of kidney disease and support assessment of MRI as a potential monitoring tool. Examples of successfully stained kidney biopsy samples were also shared with participants, giving an insight into the detailed laboratory work taking place as part of the study. The different stains that you can see represent markers related to inflammation, fibrosis and blood vessel density that will be used to compare against MRI measures.
New research fellowship supports AFiRM analysis
We have recently been awarded funding for a new non-clinical PhD fellow at the University of Nottingham. They will be working with the team responsible for analysing all the MRI data and looking at novel aspects that are outside the focus of the study, for example how ‘patchy’ CKD can be across the kidneys, and how kidney disease affects other abdominal organs.
This fellowship was made possible by funding from Kidney Research UK.
Publications and future impact
Several papers are also in draft, focussing on the baseline MRI findings. We have published the first paper that describes the study’s aims, methods and a description of the study population. The full text version of the paper can be accessed here (opens in new window) >.
Together, these publications will help share the study’s findings more widely and may inform future approaches to kidney care and research.
Thank you to participants
The study team would like to thank all participants for their continued involvement in AFiRM. Your contribution is helping generate evidence that could shape how kidney disease is monitored and managed in the future.