Jared Grantham
Background
A life dedicated to PKD research and science
A key discovery
A vision to end PKD
Background
Jared Grantham biography
Our esteemed Co-Founder, Jared J. Grantham, M.D., who had been undergoing treatment for cancer, passed away Jan. 22, 2017 at the age of 80. His brilliant career as a clinician and researcher spanned more than five decades, most of which were dedicated to advancing PKD research and science.
Dr. Grantham’s determination to help PKD patients was unwavering, and his many accomplishments were key to leading us closer to treatments and a cure for PKD. We are grateful for Dr. Grantham’s steadfast support and commitment throughout the years, and his vision that one day no one will have to suffer the full effects of PKD. We will continue to honor his legacy by working diligently toward a future without PKD.
Learn more about Dr. Grantham
Read more about Dr. Grantham’s life and journey in his book “Why I Think About Urine… and a Treatment for Polycystic Kidney Disease.”
A life dedicated to PKD research and science
Jared J. Grantham, M.D., and Joseph Bruening founded the PKD Foundation in August 1982, with a vision to find treatments and a cure for polycystic kidney disease (PKD). When they started, no one knew much about PKD, and the progress we have made in PKD research and science over the last few decades is truly amazing. Dr. Grantham’s lifelong work and dedication have made an immense impact on the progress of PKD research and science. Among Dr. Grantham’s many contributions were:
- His discovery of the hydro-osmotic effects of the hormone vasopressin in the kidneys.
- His leadership as the Director of the Division of Nephrology at the University of Kansas Hospital, which shaped the program into a world-class program to train new researchers.
- His discovery that the renal tubules secrete and reabsorb solutes and water, a finding that came from a series of experiments that showed that kidney cysts in PKD patients are in fact distended renal tubules that trap fluid within an expanding cavity lined by a single layer of cells.
- The founding of the Polycystic Kidney Disease Research Foundation (now the PKD Foundation) in partnership with Mr. Joseph Bruening to advance PKD research and science.
- His role as the founding director of the Kidney Institute at the University of Kansas Hospital, a renal research and training program, and as the founding editor of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
Watch Dr. Grantham talk about his passion for science and discovery.
A key discovery
One of Dr. Grantham’s greatest contributions to PKD science was sparked by the memory of a childhood friendship, which then paved the way to a career dedicated to PKD research. As Dr. Grantham made an important discovery — that renal tubules both secrete and reabsorb solutes and water — he remembered his childhood friend, Ronnie Wilkerson, who had PKD. Dr. Grantham wondered if the fluid in kidney cysts might be secreted and whether the cysts were in fact distended renal tubules. He then started studies with PKD patients to determine the tubular nature of kidney cysts and eventually confirmed that the cysts are neoplastic growths filled with liquid.
Watch Dr. Grantham talk about how the memory of childhood friendship led to his seminal discovery about how kidney cysts form in PKD patients.
A vision to end PKD
As Dr. Grantham’s PKD studies progressed and the word got out in the media, he was approached by Kansas City businessman, Joseph Bruening. Mr. Bruening wanted to help his wife and daughter, who both had PKD, through financial support. Dr. Grantham understood that PKD was a neglected field of research at the time so, instead of proposing that the money be used to support his own research, he formed a partnership with Mr. Bruening to found the Polycystic Kidney Disease Research Foundation (now the PKD Foundation) to support and advance PKD research and science.
Watch Dr. Grantham talk about how you can help advance PKD research and science.
Background
At a time when very little was known about polycystic kidney disease (PKD), Joseph H. Bruening and Jared J. Grantham, M.D., partnered to start the PKD Foundation. In August, 1982, when the PKD Foundation was founded, Mr. Bruening and Dr. Grantham’s vision was to advance PKD research and science to find treatments and a cure for PKD. Since then, the progress we have made is truly amazing.
Hope in the form of a news article
Before the PKD Foundation was established, Dr. Grantham was among the very few researchers studying PKD. But this was about to change. In February 1981, an article in the local paper, The Kansas City Star, titled “Research lags on hereditary condition, specialist says” caught Mr. Bruening’s attention. The article, an interview with Dr. Grantham about PKD and its devastating effects, pointed out that not much research was being conducted on PKD. In fact, at the time, Dr. Grantham’s study was the only active PKD grant funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In the news article, Dr. Grantham also talked about his studies and the hypothesis of PKD cyst formation.
Upon reading the article, Mr. Bruening, a Kansas City, Mo., native businessman whose wife and daughter had PKD, knew that he wanted to do something to help his family and future generations. In December 1981, he mailed a letter to Dr. Grantham and indicated that he was interested in the possibility of contributing funds to toward research of the condition. He also asked Dr. Grantham for ideas on the most effective ways to use the funds to achieve results.
Mr. Bruening and Dr. Grantham finally met for the first time in May, 1982, and other times after that. They agreed to create a not-for-profit independent medical foundation that would seek to cure PKD: The Polycystic Kidney Research Foundation, which is now the PKD Foundation.
On a mission to end PKD
As the Foundation was established, Mr. Bruening was personally invested in making it a success. He relied on a small Board of Directors that included himself, his daughter Elizabeth and Dr. Grantham, among others. A Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) with the top PKD researchers in the country was also established to give the Foundation the scientific credentials it needed to succeed. The first SAC then wrote a Program Project Grant to the NIH to fund an interdisciplinary research plan with the goal of exploring the biology and pathology of renal cystic disease.
In the meantime, Mr. Bruening understood that, to find a cure for PKD, a lot of fundraising efforts would need to take place. It was a personal matter to him, and he was on a mission to raise money for the new Foundation, and relentlessly contacted wealthy individuals to raise awareness and ask for donations and support. His efforts eventually paid off and he was able to get some major donors on board with the mission of the Foundation.
How far we've come
Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Bruening and our donors, and the tireless efforts of our volunteers and outstanding researchers, including Dr. Grantham, the Foundation took off. Today, we are the largest private funder of PKD research. Over the last few decades, we have invested more than $50 million in basic and clinical research, nephrology fellowships, and scientific meetings with one simple goal: discover and deliver treatments and a cure for PKD.