Researchers from Jiangsu Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. and Shanghai Hansoh Biomedical Co. Ltd. have defined cytochrome P450 11B2, mitochondrial (CYP11B2; aldosterone synthase; ALDOS) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of chronic kidney disease, diabetic nephropathy, congestive heart failure, hypertension, primary aldosteronism and Cushing syndrome as well as kidney and myocardial fibrosis.
Mediar Therapeutics Inc. has announced an oversubscribed $76 million series B financing to support its novel anti-fibrotics through clinical studies. The funding will also be used to advance MTX-439 into phase I for the treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated fibrosis.
Huayao Jiyuan (Shenzhen) Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has described hypoxia inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α; EPAS1) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, infections, cardiovascular disorders, anemia, chronic kidney disease, disorders of hematopoiesis, inflammatory disorders and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
Renal fibrosis represents a key driver of the pathology of chronic kidney disease (CKD), marked by fibroblast activation, tubular damage and inflammation. Previous work found that cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels are markedly reduced in experimental models of renal fibrosis, but the reasons for this decline are not fully understood.
Researchers from the Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University have identified WW domain-containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 2 (WWP2) as a key player in the progression from acute kidney injury (AKI) chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Eli Lilly & Co. has synthesized relaxin receptor 1 (RXFP1; LGR7) agonists reported to be useful for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute kidney disease, chronic kidney disease, diabetic nephropathy and cardiovascular disorders, among others.
South Korean researchers led by Lee In-suk of Yonsei University have reported the most complete oral microbiome catalog to date, with more than 72,000 genomes. Detailed in Cell Host & Microbe on Nov. 12, 2025, the database is expected to serve as a universal platform for academia and enable “precision microbiome medicine” for the industry, Lee told BioWorld.
Developing new gene therapies for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is still a challenge to date. A group of researchers from the Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore has presented results from evaluation of a new gene therapy for treating ADPKD, AAV1-CBdelta27-264CFTR, where they focused on the surface receptors expressed in cystic epithelia.
By transplanting a pig kidney into a brain-dead person, researchers have been able to conduct the first long-term study of the physiological processes occurring in both the transplant recipient and the pig organ for 61 days. The findings were published in the Nov. 14, 2025, issue of Nature in two papers – one focusing on physiological and immunological measurements, the other on multiomics.