From genetics to personalized nephrology: kidney research at a tipping point

Cell Tissue Res.          online article

Technologies for genetic analysis continue their evolution at an amazing pace, including advances in whole genome sequencing, total RNA sequencing and single cell genomics. Complementary to these, total sequencing and analytical services are increasingly becoming commercial with rapid and high quality service provision. These developments have led to the full availability of genetic analysis to ever wider research communities and consequent advances in a variety of research areas, while the fundamentals have not changed: with all of the novel tools that are becoming available, critical thinking and alertness shown by well-trained clinicians working seamlessly together with scientists remain the key to success.

The technical advances are, furthermore, changing the value of discovery research and the way that it integrates into the further development of solutions for direct patient benefit: the biopharmaceutical and diagnostic industries need to co-operate with the best producers of discovery data, which usually come from universities and research institutions. These developments also call for increasing adherence to quality standards in genetics, patient data and massive sample repositories with repercussions in legal and commercial issues. We can fairly state that, in many ways, the traditional research concepts are at crossroads and must re-adjust. The research community working on kidney diseases has been early to adapt and, consequently, has benefitted hugely from the new technologies and approaches.

In this special issue of Cell and Tissue Research, called “Genetic Kidney Diseases”, we present the leading edge of research achievements, novel approaches and prospects for the future so that we can better anticipate the next level of research into hereditary and acquired kidney diseases.