Investigational agents for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: preclinical and early phase study insights

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) is the most common inherited kidney condition caused by a single gene mutation. It leads patients to kidney failure in more than 50% of cases by the age of 60, and, given the dominant inheritance, this disease is present in the family history in more than 90% of cases. Areas covered This review aims to analyze the set of preclinical and early phase studies to provide a general view of the current progress on ADPKD therapeutic options. Articles from PubMed and the current status of the trials listed in clinicaltrials.gov were examined for the review. Expert opinion Many potential therapeutic targets are currently under study for the treatment of ADPKD. A few drugs have reached the clinical phase, while many are currently still in the preclinical phase. Organoids could be a novel approach to the study of drugs in this phase. Other than pharmacological options, very important developing approaches are represented by gene therapy and the use of MiRNA inhibitors.