Molecular Mechanisms and Therapies for Kidney Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

In this issue of IJMS, we would like to present the latest developments in molecular mechanisms of renal disease development and treatment.  What are the reasons for this?

First, kidney diseases have become a global public health problem due to their rapidly increasing prevalence. These diseases affect more than 10% of the world's population due to the global increase in population aging, as well as the increase in the prevalence of their leading causes, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension. As a routine treatment for kidney disease, multidrug therapy is unable to reverse the progression into end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in most patients, and those with ESRD require renal replacement therapy, namely maintenance dialysis or kidney transplantation. Dialysis is not considered an ideal treatment strategy due to the high cost of treatment and adverse effects on patient quality of life. Kidney transplantation allows patients to regain their own kidney function, but a severe shortage of donors and the possibility of organ rejection limit its use. Therefore, it is necessary to search for new and better therapeutic options to alleviate, cure, or prevent kidney disease and to improve patient survival and quality of life. We would like to include papers that provide information on the molecular mechanisms of progression of kidney diseases such as glomerulonephritis - primary and secondary, interstitial nephritis, polycystic kidney disease, their molecular diagnosis and treatment.

Second, acute kidney injury (AKI) has been reported as a common complication among hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), with the incidence of AKI ranging from 0.5% to 80%. Understanding the pathophysiology of AKI in the context of COVID-19 is extremely important. The pathway of renal injury in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome virus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is multifactorial. We encourage your interest in this topic.

The special issue of ‘Molecular Mechanisms and Therapies for Kidney Diseases’ in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences will contain a selection of research and review papers that will contribute to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of kidney disease development and diagnosis and new treatments.

Prof. Dr. Władysław Grzeszczak
Guest Editor

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