New clinical studies suggest that mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy can have positive clinical effects, potentially via immunomodulation, in patients with diabetic nephropathy or nephrotic syndrome. These trials suggest that the therapy is safe, but adverse reactions highlight the need to examine the source and functional attributes of MSCs closely.
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This work is partly supported by NIH grants DK120292 and HL158691.
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L.O.L. is an advisor to CureSpec and Ribocure Pharmaceuticals. B.L. declares no competing interests.
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Lu, B., Lerman, L.O. MSC therapy for diabetic kidney disease and nephrotic syndrome. Nat Rev Nephrol 19, 754–755 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-023-00776-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-023-00776-z