Researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center have published data from a study that aimed to investigate the role of interleukin-33 (IL-33) in cardiac remodeling after acute kidney injury (AKI).

SUMOylation is a post-translational modification consisting of the covalent addition of SUMO peptides on a target protein, which can affect various processes such as protein stability, interactions or subcellular localizations. This modification finetunes protein function involved in the cellular response to stress, differentiation and tissue development.

Scientists in Edinburgh are planning a clinical trial of licensed drugs in the prevention of chronic kidney disease (CKD) following acute kidney injury (AKI), after uncovering a new mechanism linking the pathology of one with the other. It has only recently been recognized that AKI is linked to CKD and cardiovascular disease, and to date the molecular pathways that control the transition are not well-mapped. As a result, there are no therapies for preventing acute injury progressing to chronic disease.

Medshine Discovery Inc. has disclosed alkyl carboxylic acid compounds acting as soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) activators reported to be useful for the treatment of chronic kidney disease.

Endophilin A2 (EndoA2) is a member of the endophilin A family, and is involved in the regulation of neurological and cardiovascular diseases, as well as tumor formation. Researchers from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University assessed the role of EndoA2 in renal fibrosis.

Maze Therapeutics Inc. recently presented data from preclinical studies of a small-molecule APOL1 pore function inhibitor, MZ-301, describing the compound’s in vitro and in vivo activity. APOL1 G1 and G2 genetic variants are associated with an increased risk of progressive kidney diseases in African ancestry people. There are no APOL1-targeted therapies addressing the underlying driver of these diseases.