Research at Arizona Kidney Disease & Hypertension Centers

Advancing Clinical Research in Nephrology & Kidney Health

Bridging patient care and clinical innovation across Phoenix, Glendale & Tucson. We partner with sponsors, investigators, and patients to accelerate high-quality nephrology trials.

As the largest nephrology practice in the country, AKDHC physicians feel that they have an ethical responsibility to participate in Clinical Research. We have a Research Committee consisting of a team of dedicated physicians who participate as Principle and Sub-Investigators. Prior to study start, each of our clinical trials is reviewed by members of this committee and assessed for the value it may offer to our patients in the short term, as well as the long term. Below is more information about Clinical Research at AKDHC.

Active Trials

Sites

Patients Screened

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(within last 2 years)

Patients Enrolled

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(within last 2 years)

Clinical Excellence
Study start-up, regulatory, and quality oversight built for nephrology trials.

Compliance Ready
Audit-ready documentation, SOPs, and IRB processes you can trust.

Patient-Centered
Education, retention, and coordinated scheduling across dialysis and clinic settings.

What are Clinical Trails & How do they work

Clinical trials are research studies that determine the safety and efficacy of medical devices, pharmaceutical medications, and therapies.

Clinical trials are performed in stages, and AKDHC specifically conducts stages II-IV.

- Stage II: The treatment is already proven to be safe from stage I.
- Stage III: At this point, the treatment is proven to be safe and effective. The purpose of this stage is to determine if the treatment is better than what is on the market now.
- Stage IV: After stage III, the treatment is already FDA approved. This stage specifically looks at the long-term effects of the treatment and determines if the treatment will help with any other conditions.

What to Expect from a Clinical Trial & Who Can Participate

Eligibility to participate in a Clinical Trial is confirmed during a screening visit. Our Research staff can let you know, based on your current labs, if you qualify to complete a screening visit.

During a clinical trial there will be additional oversight of patient labs from the Physician that is overlooking the study (the PI), as well as the patient’s regular nephrologist. Some things to expect during routine Research visits include:

- Additional labs are drawn and analyzed for the clinical trial. This means lab values are checked more frequently and shared with our nephrologists overseeing the patient’s care.
- The patient visit will be conducted by a research coordinator and the results from the visit will be overseen by the PI for the study. This means two additional sets of eyes are monitoring patient health in addition to the patient’s primary nephrologist or primary care physician.

Stipends are provided for each Research visit to help cover time and travel for participation in clinical trials.

The patient will not be billed for any procedures or study medication received during a clinical trial.

If you are interested in participating in a clinical trial with AKDHC, please do not hesitate to reach out to our team. They can be reached by speaking with your Medical Assistant in one of our offices and asking to speak to someone in Research. You may also reach us using the Get in Touch form below.

We encourage you to reach out, no matter which location is enrolling. Many sponsors offer travel support or reimbursement to make participation easier and more convenient for you.

Active & Upcoming Trials

Condition	Phase	Status	Location
Primary IgA Nephropathy	Phase IV	Enrolling	Thunderbird Office
ESRD, T2DM, or ASCVD	Phase III	Enrolling	FKC Estrella FKC Glendale FKC Northwest Tucson FKC Tangerine Crossings FKC Thunderbird FKC West Tucson
Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS)	Phase III	Enrolling	Deer Valley Office
Hemodialysis Vascular Access	Post-Market / Device Registry	Enrolling	Phoenix Surgery Center
AVF Maturation	Phase III	Enrolling	Marana Surgery Center Phoenix Surgery Center St. Mary’s Surgery Center
AVF Creation	Phase III	Enrolling	Bullhead Surgery Center Marana Surgery Center Phoenix Surgery Center St. Mary’s Surgery Center
APOL1 – Mediated Proteinuric Kidney Disease	Phase II / III	Enrolling	Thomas Office
CKD Stages 3b – 5 with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus	Interventional (Device / Treatment)	Enrolling	Deer Valley Office
Hemodialysis Vascular Access	Phase III	Enrolling	Phoenix Surgery Center

Our Sponsors & CROs

Multi-site infrastructure, experienced investigators and coordinators, integrated EMR/lab workflows, and proven enrollment/retention. We move fast while maintaining quality and compliance.

Start-up readiness across Phoenix, Glendale & Tucson
Specimen & kit logistics with Sonora Quest integrations
EDC accuracy, real-time data checks, and monitoring collaboration
Audit-ready documentation and SOP alignment

Our Sponsors

Meet Our Research Team

Our nephrology-focused research team brings clinical expertise and operational excellence to every study.

Peter W Santos, DO, FACP, FASN

Medical Director of Clinical Research

Leonardo Pozo Garcia, MD

Tucson Research Physician Lead

Principal Investigators

A Principal Investigator (PI) is the individual responsible for overseeing a clinical trial or research project funded by a grant. The PI designs and implements the study protocol (the research plan), manages the conduct of the study, analyzes the collected data, and prepares reports detailing the results of the trial or research.