The Clinic is one of the few centers in the country researching kidney failure caused by renal artery disease. Research funded by the National Cancer Institute is under way to improve the treatment of kidney cancer by understanding and manipulating the body's immune system. Research funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute is under way to improve the treatment of kidney transplant patients by understanding the process of rejection of foreign tissue by the body. Incorporated in 1935, The Cleveland Clinic Educational Foundation sponsors one of the nation's largest physician postgraduate training programs. More than 40 research projects on kidney diseases are funded at the Cleveland Clinic.
Registries maintain databases on patients with all types of kidney disease.
Scientific papers based on these data have contributed to important changes in medical and surgical treatment of kidney disease. New surgical techniques for removing kidney tumors, including the use of ultrasound during surgery, are being studied. Research on new immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection of transplanted kidneys is under way. Other research is being conducted on new approaches for treating kidney stones, prevention of kidney failure, the molecular biology of kidney cancer, and less invasive techniques for diagnosing renal artery disease. The Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education and the American Board of Urology have accredited the Cleveland Clinic's residency training program in urology.