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Nephrology research—the past, present and future

Nature Reviews Nephrology volume 11, pages 677–687 (2015)Cite this article

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Abstract

Important advances have been made in basic and clinical nephrology research over the past decade, with improved pathological insights into various disease processes and the introduction of new treatments for diseases such as atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome. However, many challenges remain. In this Viewpoint, we asked five Nature Reviews Nephrology Advisory Board members, who have been associated with the journal since its launch in November 2005, to reflect on the progress and roadblocks of the past 10 years. They also comment on areas where effort and money should be invested and how they expect the field to progress in the next 10 years.

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Figure 1: Macrophages interact in S1 tubules to mediate endotoxin preconditioning.
Figure 2: Randomized clinical trials in various disciplines of medicine.
Figure 3: Aberrant signalling pathways that have been implicated in the pathogenesis of polycystic kidney disease and potential drugs that act on targets in these pathways.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Nephrology and Immunology, Rheinisch–Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany

    Jürgen Floege

  2. Division of Paediatric Nephrology, Rady Children's Hospital, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, 92093-0630, CA, USA

    Robert H. Mak

  3. Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 950 West Walnut Street, R-2 202-C, Indianapolis, 46202, IN, USA

    Bruce A. Molitoris

  4. IRCCS–Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Clinical Research Centre for Rare Diseases “Aldo e Cele Daccò”, Centro Anna Maria Astori, Science and Technology Park Kilometro Rosso, Via Stezzano 87, 24126, Bergamo, Italy

    Giuseppe Remuzzi

  5. Division of Nephrology, INSERM UMR_S 1155; Pierre et Marie Curie University Paris 06, and AP-HP, Tenon Hospital,

    Pierre Ronco

  6. Division of Nephrology, Pierre et Marie Curie University Paris 06, and AP-HP, Tenon Hospital, 4 Rue de la Chine, Paris, 75020, France

    Pierre Ronco

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  1. Jürgen Floege
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  4. Giuseppe Remuzzi
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Jürgen Floege, Robert H. Mak, Bruce A. Molitoris, Giuseppe Remuzzi or Pierre Ronco.

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Competing interests

J.F. has consulted for and/or received speaker honoraria from Amgen, Abbvie, Chugai, Fresenius, Pharmalink, Sanofi and Vifor. B.A.M. is co-founder and Medical Director of FAST BioMedical, a company developing technology to rapidly quantify plasma volume and glomerular filtration rate. The other authors declare no competing interests.

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Floege, J., Mak, R., Molitoris, B. et al. Nephrology research—the past, present and future. Nat Rev Nephrol 11, 677–687 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneph.2015.152

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