Autoimmune Drug May Help Prevent Diabetic Kidney Disease

Researchers have discovered that a receptor called B7-1 is expressed by kidney cells during the progression of diabetic nephropathy. Targeting this receptor with an available drug called CTLA4-Ig, or abatacept, helped to maintain kidney function in mice with diabetic nephropathy. Abatacept is currently being used to treat autoimmune disease due to its ability to target B7-1 expressed on immune cells. The next steps will be to test anti-B7-1 drugs in individuals with diabetes and diabetic nephropathy to see if such a strategy can slow disease progression. Thefindings are published in JASN.