Abstract: SA-PO0119
Urine Leukemia Inhibitory Factor Predicts Recovery Among Patients with Acute Interstitial Nephritis
Session Information
- Top Trainee Posters - 3
November 08, 2025 | Location: Exhibit Hall, Convention Center
Abstract Time: 01:42 PM - 01:48 PM
Category: Acute Kidney Injury
- 102 AKI: Clinical, Outcomes, and Trials
Authors
- Qian, Long, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
- Aponte Becerra, Laura, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
- Liang, Cathleen G, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
- Koval, Emma L, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
- Shelton, Kyra A., Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
- Moeckel, Gilbert W., Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
- Kumar, Deepika, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
- Rosenberg, Avi Z., Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
- Kuperman, Michael, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
- Parikh, Chirag R., Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
- Xu, Leyuan, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
- Moledina, Dennis G., Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Background
Prognosticating outcomes in acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) is clinically challenging. This study aimed to identify objective urinary biomarkers predictive of recovery in AIN and explore their mechanistic and histopathological associations.
Methods
We tested the association of urine proteomics measured at time of biopsy using Olink Explore HT platform with 3-month renal recovery after AIN, adjusting for demographics and clinical covariates. We further evaluated the top urine protein in a separate validation cohort, and with histological features.
Results
Of 5,416 proteins tested in 55 biopsy-confirmed cases of AIN, 13 were significantly associated with recovery in the primary analysis (Figure 1a). Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF, UniProt ID P15018) has the strongest association with renal recovery (Q value = 0.015) in primary analysis and various sensitivity analyses. LIF was negatively associated with interstitial fibrosis but not with other histological features. LIF showed an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.90 for recovery (Figure 1b). In a validation cohort of 18 participants with biopsy-proven AIN, LIF was associated with higher 6-month eGFR (P=0.01).
Conclusion
Urine LIF is a strong independent predictor of renal recovery in AIN and is associated with lower interstitial fibrosis. These findings suggest LIF may play a mechanistic role in renal inflammation and fibrotic pathways in AIN, supporting its potential as both a prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target.