A Roadmap for AMKD

During the National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meetings, Cesia Portillo and Seyi Balogun, of the American Society of Nephrology (ASN), presented on the creation and results of a roadmap to address APOL1-mediated kidney disease (AMKD).

There are currently no approved treatments for AMKD, a genetic kidney condition that results from having two high-risk alleles of the APOL1 gene. Half of individuals of African ancestry with nondiabetic kidney disease have these high-risk alleles.

To address AMKD, the Kidney Health Initiative, a public-private partnership among more than 80 organizations, including the ASN and US Food and Drug Administration, brought together a group of kidney health stakeholders to analyze the landscape and create a comprehensive roadmap. Four workgroups worked with experts to pinpoint solutions in three areas: (1) education and awareness; (2) genetic testing and counseling; and (3) clinical study participation.

Their work resulted in a roadmap outlining more than 40 action items focused around those three key areas and attainable in the short, medium, and long term.

The abstract authors stated that the AMKD roadmap has yielded tangible outcomes and amplified the patient voice. “These results underscore the success of interprofessional collaboration in addressing multifaceted challenges, offering valuable lessons applicable to health care awareness, education, and finding unique ways to tackle health inequities for various illnesses, with specific relevance to AMKD,” they wrote.

Source: Portillo C, Balogun S. Advancing APOL-1-mediated kidney disease through the creation of a roadmap. Presented at the National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meetings 2024; May 14-18, 2024; Long Beach, California.