Novel Therapies in APOL1-Mediated Kidney Disease: From Molecular Pathways to Therapeutic Options
George Vasquez‐Rios, Marina de Cos, Kirk N. Campbell
Abstract
Apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) high risk variants confer an increased risk for the development and progression of kidney disease among individuals of recent African ancestry. Over the last several years significant progress has been made in understanding the pathogenesis of APOL1-mediated kidney diseases (AMKD), including genetic regulation, environmental interactions, immunomodulatory, pro-inflammatory and apoptotic signaling processes, as well as the complex role of APOL1 as an ion channel. Collectively, these findings have paved the way for novel therapeutic strategies to mitigate APOL1 mediated kidney injury. Precision medicine approaches are being developed to identify subgroups of AMKD patients who may benefit from these targeted interventions, fueling hope for improved clinical outcomes. This review summarizes key mechanistic insights in the pathogenesis of AMKD, emergent therapies and discusses future challenges. Apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) high risk variants confer an increased risk for the development and progression of kidney disease among individuals of recent African ancestry. Over the last several years significant progress has been made in understanding the pathogenesis of APOL1-mediated kidney diseases (AMKD), including genetic regulation, environmental interactions, immunomodulatory, pro-inflammatory and apoptotic signaling processes, as well as the complex role of APOL1 as an ion channel. Collectively, these findings have paved the way for novel therapeutic strategies to mitigate APOL1 mediated kidney injury. Precision medicine approaches are being developed to identify subgroups of AMKD patients who may benefit from these targeted interventions, fueling hope for improved clinical outcomes. This review summarizes key mechanistic insights in the pathogenesis of AMKD, emergent therapies and discusses future challenges.