A kidney transplant can be life-changing, offering people with kidney failure the opportunity to live longer, healthier lives. But while transplant outcomes are often excellent in the short term, many patients face new health challenges in the months and years that follow.

Thanks to a 2025 Discovery Grant from the Charlies Foundation for Research, Dr Aron Chakera, nephrologist and Dr Jo Beer, senior renal dietitian at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, are leading an important research project aimed at improving long-term health outcomes for kidney transplant recipients.

The project, Keeping Your New Kidney Healthy: Understanding Body and Blood Sugar Changes Following Kidney Transplantation, focuses on what happens to the body in the critical weeks after a transplant.

Many transplant recipients experience significant weight gain during their first year, along with changes in muscle, body fat and fluid levels. At the same time, some develop problems regulating their blood sugar, increasing their risk of diabetes, heart disease and other serious health complications.

Current monitoring methods often rely on weight and BMI measurements, which can miss important changes happening inside the body. This multidisciplinary team of kidney specialists, diabetes experts and dietitians are working to better understand these changes by using advanced body composition technology alongside continuous glucose monitoring during the first month after transplantation.

The insights gained from this research could help clinicians identify problems earlier and develop targeted interventions that support patients in maintaining both their health and the long-term function of their transplanted kidney.

Funding from the Charlies Foundation for Research has enabled the team to purchase specialised body composition equipment and continuous glucose monitors, providing the tools needed to gather this vital data and pave the way for future improvements in patient care.

Research like this helps ensure that a successful transplant is not just about gaining a new kidney—it’s about giving people the best possible chance to live well for years to come.