Leading Kidney Clinician Scientist joins Lawson Health Research Institute

December 23, 2014

One of globe’s most innovative clinician scientists, Dr. Chris McIntyre, has joined Lawson Health Research Institute to advance his research in life-sustaining kidney treatment called hemodialysis.  Dr. McIntyre has transferred his research program from the University of Nottingham, UK, to London, Ontario, including three key research staff.  His group is internationally recognized for shaping attitudes and beliefs about dialysis.

Over 2 million people worldwide require ongoing dialysis to sustain life.  Dialysis is used when kidneys fail and are no longer able to filter the blood to rid the body of harmful wastes, extra salt and water. 

“The leading cause of death in dialysis patients is cardiovascular disease,” says Dr. McIntyre, “Tragically, dialysis patients continue to have a lower life expectancy than many cancer patients.”

Dr. McIntyre recently demonstrated that cardiovascular disease in dialysis patients is not solely caused by traditional risk factors such as high blood pressure or smoking—rather, hemodialysis itself causes cardiac injury.  This paradigm-shifting concept was new to the medical community and is now broadly accepted internationally.  “The focus of my research program is to deliver life-sustaining hemodialysis with maximal benefit and efficiency without patient harm,” says Dr. McIntyre.

Since starting his academic career in 2006, Dr. McIntyre has held 27 principal investigator grants totaling over $9 million from peer-reviewed sources including the UK National Institute of Health Research, the British Heart Foundation and Kidney Research UK.  He has developed, led and collaborated in multiple national and international dialysis studies, and has generated over 150 publications.  Dr. McIntyre founded the Renal Research Group in the University of Nottingham in 2006, which is currently the most productive renal clinical science unit in the UK.

In addition to his role as a Lawson scientist, Dr. McIntyre is the recipient of the Dr. Robert Lindsay Chair in Dialysis Research and Innovation, and the new Director of the London Kidney Clinical Research Unit, located at London Health Sciences Centre.  He is alsoa Professor of Medicine at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University.

Dr. Chris McIntyre is internationally recognized for his work and concepts, and we are thrilled that he and his family have relocated to London, Ontario. London has a rich tradition of high impact kidney and dialysis clinical research. We clearly see Dr. McIntyre providing leadership and effort that will take these activities to the next level, increasing the number and quality of breakthrough discoveries that benefit our patients, the healthcare system and society.

Dr. McIntyre’s clinical practice will be located at the LHSC’s, Victoria Hospital. Specific projects in his future research program include the use of leading imaging technologies to understand how hemodialysis affects the vascular system of key organs, and how dialysis-induced injury can be prevented.