Mohd Anas Shamsi studied structural changes in kidney cystatin, a thiol protease inhibitor, in rats with dimethylnitrosamine-induced renal cancer. Rats were divided into control and cancer groups, with the cancer group receiving dimethylnitrosamine to induce renal tumors. Kidney cystatin was isolated from both healthy and cancerous kidneys. The cancerous kidney cystatin showed greater anti-papain activity and was more stable over a range of pH and temperatures compared to the healthy cystatin, indicating a structural modification. Spectroscopy methods identified structural differences between the healthy and cancerous cystatins, demonstrating that kidney cystatin is structurally altered in renal cancer.