One medical discovery often leads to others, and Assistant Professor Steven Youmans, Ph.D., is banking on that being the case for Lipitor. Right now, he’s conducting research to see whether the cholesterol-lowering drug may also hold the key to curing kidney disease. And Pfizer Inc., Lipitor’s manufacturer, is so interested in the possibility that it has provided a $100,000 grant to Youmans to conduct initial research.

The professor says there is some evidence that the drug might prevent a damaging protein from entering renal (kidney) cells. What’s more, tests have shown that this protein, which is normally present at low levels in the blood, is elevated in people who suffer from renal disease.

Lipitor works similarly to prevent heart disease, blocking an enzyme in the liver that produces cholesterol. By decreasing cholesterol, the liver is forced to use more, thus lowering the levels of potentially life-threatening steroid alcohol in the blood.

The one-year research project, which is being conducted at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y., as well as NYIT, will look at Lipitor’s impact on cultured kidney cells and on mice kidneys.

According to the National Kidney Foundation, more than 20 million Americans—one in nine—have chronic kidney disease.

“This research could have huge implications,” says Youmans. “It may prove that Lipitor has the potential to prevent, treat, slow down, or maybe even reverse kidney disease.”

Youmans is working on the research with fellow NYIT Assistant Professor Joerg R. Leheste, Ph.D., research associate Miriam Cohen, and John Maesaka, M.D., of Winthrop’s renal division. The researcher believes that collaborations among scientists and clinicians can help unlock many medical mysteries.”