Application of Functional Renal MRI to Improve Assessment of Chronic Kidney Disease (AFiRM)

May 11, 2026 updated by: University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust

Research question: Can multiparametric renal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provide structural and functional assessment of the kidneys to deliver prognostic information and guide treatment options in chronic kidney disease (CKD)?

Aims and objectives:

  1. To establish a multiparametric renal MRI protocol in CKD cohorts.
  2. To use multiparametric MRI to characterise people with and without CKD progression.
  3. To compare multiparametric renal MRI with 'gold-standard' renal biopsy to determine pathological processes of CKD progression that are detectable by MRI.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The study will have three stages.

Stage 1: 45 people with CKD from nine UKRIN centres will undergo multiparametric MRI to test patient tolerance, data completeness and central data collection processes.

Stage 2: A multicentre, prospective cohort study of 450 people with CKD, collecting multiparametric renal MRI at baseline and 2 years. Long-term outcomes will be determined with efficient tracking of kidney failure events via the UK Renal Registry at 5 and 10 years.

Stage 3: A mechanistic sub-study of 45 patients (from Stage 2) who have had a routine renal biopsy. Detailed comparisons will be made between multiparametric MRI and histopathological changes. Tissue blocks will undergo quantitative analysis of fibrosis, capillary density and inflammation using immunohistochemistry techniques.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
486

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United Kingdom
    • Derbyshire
      • Derby, Derbyshire, United Kingdom, DE22 3NE
        • Royal Derby Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Chronic kidney disease

Description

Inclusion Criteria

  • Age 18-75 years
  • CKD category G3-4 or CKD category G1-2 with overt albuminuria (urine ACR>30mg/mmol)
  • Capable of giving informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

  • Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD)
  • Glomerulonephritis (GN) actively receiving immunosuppression, or within the preceding 90 days.
  • Multiple myeloma (MM)
  • Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) within the preceding 90 days
  • Solid organ transplant
  • Known single kidney
  • Contraindications to MRI (e.g. permanent pacemaker, metallic foreign bodies, claustrophobia etc.)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Main study cohort
Patients with CKD recruited from specialist nephrology clinics
Diagnostic test: Multiparametric renal MRI
Localiser scans; Kidney volume; Longitudinal (T1) relaxation time mapping; Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI); Phase Contrast MRI; Arterial spin labelling (ASL); Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) mapping

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
CKD progression
Time Frame: 10 years
kidney failure (doubling of serum creatinine, eGFR<15ml/min or RRT) OR a 40% decline in eGFR
10 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Kidney failure events
Time Frame: 10 years
Doubling of serum creatinine, eGFR<15ml/min or RRT
10 years
40% decline in eGFR from baseline
Time Frame: 10 years
10 years
eGFR trajectory
Time Frame: 2 years
(ml/min/yr)
2 years
AKI events
Time Frame: 4 years
AKI as per KDIGO serum creatinine criteria
4 years
Cardiovascular events
Time Frame: 4 years
4 years
All cause mortality
Time Frame: 10 years
10 years

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Renal MRI measures
Time Frame: 2 years
As detailed in interventions section
2 years
Renal histology measures
Time Frame: Baseline
Glomerulosclerosis score, extent of interstitial fibrosis, inflammation, peritubular capillary density, collagen accumulation, inflammatory cell subtypes
Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
University of Nottingham
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust
University College, London
The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
University of Leeds
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
University of Sheffield
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
University of Edinburgh
Newcastle University
University of Cambridge
Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 1, 2021

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
February 28, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
February 28, 2033

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 20, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 20, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 23, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 11, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • DHRD/2018/100
  • 271043 (Other Identifier: IRAS)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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