News

Protecting the long-term health of their heart and kidneys is a major challenge for people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Luckily, findings from the SUGARNSALT project demonstrate medications that can help with this.

The SUGARNSALT project, co-funded by The Kidney Foundation of Canada, is exploring whether medications commonly used for type 2 diabetes, called SGLT2 inhibitors, would be beneficial to people with T1D as well.

Since the project’s inception, lead investigator Dr. Cherney and his team have published and presented several modelling and review studies, using existing clinical and real-world data to understand how these medications affect the heart, kidneys, and overall health of people with T1D.

Early findings show that SGLT2 inhibitors can help protect both the heart and kidneys without increasing the risk of dangerously low blood sugar – a key safety consideration for patients with T1D. This was seen even in people who already had kidney disease, meaning these medications could slow the progression of kidney disease in people with T1D. Other analyses from the team explore how these treatments also influence anemia and salt-water balance which are also important safety considerations.

These analyses lay the groundwork for the next stage of the project: a clinical trial. From the reports generated to date, the team was able to establish the safety and feasibility of a clinical trial and identify key risk factors and possible benefits to guide trial design.

The clinical trial will test a specific SGLT2 inhibitor in people with T1D to provide evidence towards the implementation of these medications for T1D. There has yet to be a distinct clinical trial for this, despite this class of medications being common for people with type 2 diabetes to protect their heart and kidney health. Both the evidence already generated and the evidence from the clinical trial will shape the future implementation of SGLT2 inhibitors for people with T1D.

“The hope it that [SUGARNSALT] will lead to changes in guidelines or indications that will improve care,” explains Dr. Cherney, lead investigator of the SUGARNSALT. He continues, “[to show] a clinical application of a therapy that can be used in a practical way by physicians who take care of patients with kidney disease.

The SUGARNSALT project continues to advance our understanding of how to safely repurpose diabetes medications for kidney protection – an important step toward improving the long-term health outcomes for people with TD1.

Read more about the SUGARNSALT project at kidney.ca/Research/Supported-Research/SUGARNSALT-Project