April 30, 2026
Excited to share our new research paper in Stem Cell Reports on the discovery of novel kidney disease targets. Chronic kidney disease affects over 10% of the world population, and there are no targeted therapies that can reverse kidney damage or stop progression to organ failure.
With NIH funding, we integrated human disease models and clinical data to discover therapeutic targets directly relevant to humans. Using multiple injury-relevant stressors, we identified both shared and distinct molecular responses and targets, with enrichment also observed in patient biopsy. This study highlights the power of human-relevant models to advance mechanistic studies of disease and identify translationally relevant therapeutic opportunities. This study also provides a framework for understanding mechanisms that precede irreversible damage and organ failure, offering tunable targets for future injury repair and tissue regeneration.
Congratulations to first author Amanda D. Barreto and all our collaborators and co-authors for their outstanding work on this study.
Full article: Discovery of kidney disease targets using multimodal human podocyte injury models - ScienceDirect
We thank the NIH, Whitehead Foundation, and HHMI for supporting this work.