At a recent medical meeting, scientists shared exciting news about a breakthrough in treating and tracking certain kidney diseases.
These diseases are part of a condition called nephrotic syndrome, where damaged kidneys leak too much protein into the urine.
The new discovery is about a special marker in the blood that can help doctors monitor the disease more easily. This is especially important for children, who often suffer from two types of kidney disease—minimal change disease and primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.
Both fall under a group of diseases called idiopathic nephrotic syndrome, which means doctors still don’t know exactly what causes them.
Usually, to find out what’s wrong with the kidneys, doctors need to do a kidney biopsy. That means taking a tiny sample of kidney tissue to look at under a microscope. But this can be hard on young children, so it’s not done often.
Now, thanks to this research, doctors may be able to track the disease without needing a biopsy. The scientists found certain proteins in the blood called anti-nephrin autoantibodies. These are made when the immune system mistakenly attacks the kidneys’ own cells.
In the study, researchers from Europe and the United States used two testing tools—immunoprecipitation and ELISA—to detect these autoantibodies. They found that most adults with minimal change disease had them in their blood. Even more striking, 90% of children with untreated idiopathic nephrotic syndrome also had these proteins.
This means the antibodies are likely connected to active kidney disease and can be used to monitor the condition over time.
To better understand how these autoantibodies cause harm, the scientists did an experiment with mice.
They gave the mice a lab-made version of the nephrin protein, which triggered changes in the kidneys that looked just like those seen in people with nephrotic syndrome. Even a small dose caused problems, showing how powerful the autoantibodies can be.
Dr. Nicola M. Tomas, a lead researcher, said that being able to find and measure these proteins in the blood is a big step forward. It allows doctors to better diagnose kidney problems and track how patients are doing without needing risky procedures.
Professor Tobias B. Huber added that the study helps explain what causes these diseases at a deeper level. This could lead to new treatments that are tailored to each person’s needs, using personalized medicine.
This breakthrough gives hope for better care and less invasive ways to handle kidney disease, especially for children. It shows how understanding the body’s own immune system can help us find smarter ways to diagnose and treat serious health problems.
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