Grant Awards

Sophie Claudel, MD, Awarded American Kidney Fund Grant

She is examining the kidney – heart disease connection.

Sophie Claudel, MD, has received a 2026 research grant from the American Kidney Fund’s (AKF) Clinical Scientist in Nephrology (CSN) Program, which funds early-career nephrologists dedicated to improving diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD).    

Claudel, a nephrology fellow at Boston Medical Center and clinical instructor at the school, is the recipient of the Akebia CSN Fellowship. She is examining the relationship between CKD and cardiovascular disease to help provide insight into new treatments to stop disease progression.

Kidney and heart disease are deeply interconnected, yet the molecular pathways linking them remain poorly understood, especially in the earliest stages, when injury is clinically silent and opportunities for intervention are most easily missed.

Sophie Claudel, MD

Claudel joins distinguished nephrology researchers who received support early in their careers through the CSN program, which was launched in 1989. Claudel’s fellowship is funded by grants from Akebia Therapeutics and the HFO Foundation, with additional support from individual donors whose generosity helps advance critical research. 

Claudel’s research will study genes and proteins to learn how early kidney damage — shown by protein in the urine — can lead to blood vessel damage. By understanding these connections, she hopes to find new ways to protect kidney and heart health before lasting damage occurs. 

“Kidney and heart disease are deeply interconnected, yet the molecular pathways linking them remain poorly understood, especially in the earliest stages, when injury is clinically silent and opportunities for intervention are most easily missed,” said Claudel. “My research focuses on the proteins and pathways that connect albuminuria and vascular injury at these critical early timepoints, with the goal of identifying new targets for detection and treatment before irreversible damage occurs. The American Kidney Fund’s mission to fight kidney disease and help people live healthier lives is exactly what drives this work: if we can intervene earlier, we can change outcomes for the millions of patients living with, or at risk for, kidney and cardiovascular disease. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to pursue this science through the Clinical Scientist in Nephrology Fellowship.”