The Royal Academy of Medicine of the Canary Islands has recognized a study conducted by researchers from Hospital Universitario de Canarias (HUC) and the University of La Laguna (ULL), and published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences ( IJMS ), an open access scientific journal published by MDPI.
The recognition highlights research conducted in the Canary Islands and disseminated through an open access publication. The open access model allows findings to be accessed by researchers, healthcare professionals and research institutions, without paying for a journal subscription, broadening the reach and visibility of research..
The study was published in 2024 in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, one of MDPI’s journals with the highest participation from the Spanish research community. In 2025, IJMS had the third highest number of contributions from authors affiliated with Spanish institutions across the publisher’s portfolio, with 602 articles published.
In the Canary Islands, MDPI also maintains an active relationship with the academic community. Both the University of La Laguna and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria are part of its Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP) in Spain.
“This recognition is a great example of the quality and relevance of research being conducted in Spain. At MDPI, we are proud to help make research like this openly available, extending its reach and making it accessible to researchers and professionals across the international scientific community”, says Stefan Tochev, CEO of MDPI.
What do the results reveal?
The study, led by nephrologist Rosa Miquel Rodríguez as first author, analysed 140 adult patients and compared the formulas commonly used to estimate kidney function with direct measurement using iohexol clearance.
The results showed that creatinine-based formulas failed to detect around 37% of cases in which direct measurement identified rapid kidney function decline. At the same time, they classified nearly 40% of cases as showing rapid progression when the patients actually had a moderate or stable course.