Spotlight on Genetic Kidney Diseases: A Call for Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine Solutions

Nanoparticles as drug delivery carriers have benefited diseases, including cancer, since the 1990s, and more recently, their promise to quickly and efficiently be mobilized to fight against global diseases such as in the COVID-19 pandemic have been proven. Despite these success stories, there are limited nanomedicine efforts for chronic kidney diseases (CKDs), which affect 844 million people worldwide and can be linked to a variety of genetic kidney diseases. In this Perspective, we provide a brief overview of the clinical status of genetic kidney diseases, background on kidney physiology and a summary of nanoparticle design that enable kidney access and targeting, and emerging technological strategies that can be applied for genetic kidney diseases, including rare and congenital kidney diseases. Finally, we conclude by discussing gaps in knowledge remaining in both genetic kidney diseases and kidney nanomedicine and collective efforts that are needed to bring together stakeholders from diverse expertise and industries to enable the development of the most relevant drug delivery strategies that can make an impact in the clinic.

Automated summary

Nanoparticles, as drug delivery carriers, have been effective in treating various diseases, including cancer, since the 1990s. Recently, their potential to combat global diseases like COVID-19 has been demonstrated. However, there is limited research on nanomedicine for chronic kidney diseases (CKDs) which affect a significant number of individuals worldwide. This article provides an overview of the clinical status of genetic kidney diseases, nanoparticle design for kidney targeting, and emerging technological strategies for treating genetic kidney diseases.