Podocytes as a therapeutic target

The filtration system of a kidney is critical for retaining essential proteins from the blood plasma and removal of toxic waste from the body. When a kidney loses its filtration function it results in life threatening complications and the survival usually depends on dialysis and eventually surgical intervention requiring a kidney transplant. The filtration function in a kidney is carried out by glomeruli and each glomerulus with its tubules is termed as a “nephron” which is also known as the filtration unit of the kidney [1]. A human kidney is composed of approximately 1 million glomeruli and on an average filters about 200 quarts of blood plasma generating about 2 quarts of urine per day [2]. The filtration function of a glomerulus is affected by a wide spectrum of diseases such as FSGS (focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis) and various nephrotic syndromes that are also the leading causes of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) [3-5]. The incidence of ESRD is increasing at an alarming rate and costs about $49 billion a year in patient care [6,7]. Limited progress has been made in the therapeutic advancement in this field primarily due to poor understanding of the basic mechanisms that regulate the different layers of the filtration assembly of the glomerulus.