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13/10/2026 - General information

The Spanish Kidney Foundation recognises Hospital del Mar research on prehabilitation in people awaiting a kidney transplant

The study, carried out by the Nephrology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Departments and the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, has received the Nephrology Research Award at the 38th edition of the Íñigo Álvarez de Toledo Awards for Nephrology Research, presented by this organisation.

Research in the field of frailty and kidney transplantation, led by the Nephrology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Departments at Hospital del Mar and researchers from the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, has received the Nephrology Research Award at the Íñigo Álvarez de Toledo Awards for Nephrology Research, presented by the Spanish Kidney Foundation. The award jury, made up of 22 experts in nephrology, research and business, granted two awards: one for nephrology and another for nephrology nursing, which, in this edition, was shared by two projects.

The winning study, led by Dr Maria José Pérez Sáez, Head of the Kidney Transplant Section of the Nephrology Department and a researcher at HMRIB, in collaboration with Dr Ester Marco, Head of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department and also a researcher at HMRIB, evaluates whether an exercise programme before transplant surgery can improve the physical and muscular condition of transplant candidates in order to improve transplant outcomes. To assess this, a clinical trial was conducted involving 121 patients on the waiting list, whose condition as transplant candidates was evaluated at the start of the study. Four out of ten were found to be frail, a factor that could complicate their recovery and survival.

Participants were divided into two groups. The first followed an 8-week prehabilitation programme, including exercises designed to improve physical fitness. The second received standard care and the usual advice before surgery. The results show that people who exercised improved across several measures of functional capacity and frailty, reaching transplantation better prepared for recovery and a return to their normal lives.

The other two studies recognised in the field of nephrology nursing were a study aimed at identifying the most effective dressing for preventing infections in haemodialysis catheters and a model designed to predict which catheters are likely to fail before complications arise. Over its 38 editions, the Íñigo Álvarez de Toledo Awards for Nephrology Research have recognised more than one hundred projects covering all areas of the specialty. This is the second time that the Nephrology Department at Hospital del Mar has received this award.

The article has also received the Editor's Choice Award from the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.

Reference article

Pérez-Sáez MJ, Muñoz-Redondo E, Morgado-Pérez A, Delcros-Forestier L, Bach A, Faura A, Redondo D, Chamoun B, Burballa C, Buxeda A, Crespo M, Marco E, Pascual J; FRAILMar Study Group. Exercise-Based Prehabilitation for Kidney Transplant Candidates: the FRAILMar Randomized Controlled Trial. Am J Kidney Dis. 2025 Nov;86(5):634-645.e1. doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2025.07.003. Epub 2025 Aug 13. PMID: 40816623.

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