Scientists discover gene for devastating kidney disease

An important genetic cause of a devastating kidney disease that is the second leading cause of kidney failure in children has been identified, say researchers from Children's Hospital Boston and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Published online December 20 by Nature Genetics, the findings may provide clues to developing treatments for the disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), which currently forces children and young adults onto dialysis and often requires a kidney transplant.

FSGS attacks the kidney's filtering system, causing proteins to be lost into the urine and reducing the kidney's ability to filter wastes from the blood

The research team, led by Elizabeth Brown, MD of Children's Division of Nephrology, working in the laboratory of Martin Pollak, MD of the Renal Division at Brigham and Women's Hospital, identified the gene by performing a genetic linkage analysis in two large families with FSGS.