Establishment of differential diagnostic method for idiopathic nephrotic syndrome utilizing podocyte cell biology

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K08696
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 53040:Nephrology-related
• Research Institution: Gunma University
• Principal Investigator: Kobayashi Yasuko 群馬大学, 医学部附属病院, 講師 (60451720)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 特発性ネフローゼ症候群 / ステロイド反応性 / 予後予測 / ポドサイト細胞株

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Nephrotic syndrome is a disease in which a large amount of protein in the blood leaks into the urine from a spherical body of capillaries called "glomeruli" that filtrate urine from blood in the kidneys. The unknown factors that increase the permeability of the glomerular capillary wall has been suggested, but has not been identified, yet. There are two types of nephrotic syndrome patients who respond to steroid treatment, and who do not. It is difficult to distinguish these two from clinical findings at the time of onset. In this study, we established a method to be able to distinguish the steroid response at the disease onset utilizing healthy human podocyte cell line stimulated with patients’ serum by the level of a molecular activation expressed in the cell line.

Free Research Field

小児腎疾患

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

この研究成果により、特発性ネフローゼ症候群の発症早期にステロイド反応性予測を行い、病初期から適切な治療選択を可能にすることで、ステロイド療法による副作用を抑え、より有効性が期待される免疫抑制薬を早期に選択することが可能となることが示唆されました。