New research from the University of Ghana, shared this month, helps shed light on one of the reasons why kidney disease does not affect every community equally, potentially helping to point the way to better screening and more personal care for patients of African heritage.
What the latest research found
In an inaugural lecture at the University of Ghana on Thursday 14 May 2026, Professor Vincent Boima set out findings from a wide-ranging study of how genetics shapes kidney health in West Africa. His work focuses on APOL1, a gene found commonly in people of West African descent, which has been linked to a higher risk of chronic kidney disease. The team reports that people carrying the relevant APOL1 variants are more likely to develop CKD, particularly when other factors such as high blood pressure, infection, or limited access to care are also present. The lecture was titled “From Genes to Mind: Holistic Pathways to Precision Kidney Care for Africa,” and the message running through it was that African-led research is essential to closing the gap between what we know about kidney disease in some populations and what we know in others.
According to MyJoyOnline reporting on the lecture, Prof Boima also stressed that genetic information must be used carefully, to improve care rather than to create fear or division. That feels important to us as patients. Knowing more about why APOL1 kidney disease shows up in certain families is only useful if the knowledge is paired with practical support, better screening, and an unwavering respect for the people behind the statistics.
Why this matters for UK patients
Although the lecture was given in Accra, the implications travel well. Greater Manchester is home to large and long-established African and African Caribbean communities, and many of our members and friends will have personal or family connections to West Africa. For years, UK clinicians and researchers have been working to understand why people of African and African Caribbean heritage in Britain face a higher risk of CKD, kidney failure, and difficulty finding a matched transplant. The APOL1 story is part of that bigger picture, sitting alongside differences in blood pressure, diabetes, and access to early care.
This kind of work also points to a hopeful direction in kidney medicine. If we can identify who is at higher genetic risk, we can think more clearly about when to start regular screening, what to monitor, and how to support people earlier in their journey. There is already strong work in this country to make kidney testing fairer for everyone, and the APOL1 findings sit comfortably alongside that effort. You can read more about it in our piece on making kidney tests work for everyone.
Bringing genetics, community, and care together
For patients of African and African Caribbean heritage, CKD is sometimes diagnosed only at an advanced stage, and conversations about organ donation in these communities are still developing. We have written before about the work being done to widen those conversations in our piece on organ donation in BAME communities. The new APOL1 research strengthens the case for early, community-led education, particularly in cities such as Manchester where diversity is one of our strengths.
It also adds to the wider scientific story of how researchers are beginning to map the genes tied to kidney disease. Each new study fills in a little more of that picture, and each one brings the prospect of more precise, more personal care a little closer.
Closer to home, projects such as the Peterborough peer educator pilot show how this kind of research can lead to action on the ground. You can read about that work in our piece on kidney peer educators in Peterborough, where Kidney Research UK has trained members of Eastern European and South Asian communities to share information about CKD with their neighbours. The same model could, in time, support similar work with African and Caribbean heritage communities here in Greater Manchester.
At MRIKPA, we welcome research that puts patient communities at the centre. Understanding why kidney disease behaves differently in different families helps all of us advocate for fairer screening, earlier care, and a kinder conversation about risk.
Guy Hill, Chair of MRIKPA
If you live with kidney disease, or you have a family member who does, and you would like to talk to others who understand from personal experience, you are welcome to get in touch with us at support@mrikpa.org.uk or call 07745 242 684. We are a small community of patients in Manchester who know what this journey can feel like, and we are always happy to listen.
