Kidney Disease clinical trials at UCSF

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of belimumab and intravenous rituximab co-administration at inducing a complete remission (CR) compared to rituximab alone in participants with PM. Background: Primary membranous nephropathy (MN) is among the most common causes of nephrotic syndrome in adults. MN affects individuals of all ages and races. The peak incidence of MN is in the fifth decade of life. Primary MN is recognized to be an autoimmune disease, a disease where the body's own immune system causes damage to kidneys. This damage can cause the loss of too much protein in the urine. Drugs used to treat MN aim to reduce the attack by one's own immune system on the kidneys by blocking inflammation and reducing the immune system's function. These drugs can have serious side effects and often do not cure the disease. There is a need for new treatments for MN that are better at improving the disease while reducing fewer treatment associated side effects. In this study, researchers will evaluate if treatment with a combination of two different drugs, belimumab and rituximab, is effective at blocking the immune attacks on the kidney compared to rituximab alone. Rituximab works by decreasing a type of immune cell, called B cells. B cells are known to have a role in MN. Once these cells are removed, disease may become less active or even inactive. However, after stopping treatment, the body will make new B cells which may cause disease to become active again. Belimumab works by decreasing the new B cells produced by the body and, may even change the type of new B cells subsequently produced. Belimumab is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat systemic lupus erythematosus (also referred to as lupus or SLE). Rituximab is approved by the FDA to treat some types of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and vasculitis. Neither rituximab nor belimumab is approved by the FDA to treat MN. Treatment with a combination of belimumab and rituximab has not been studied in individuals with MN, but it is currently being tested in other autoimmune diseases, including lupus nephritis and Sjögren's syndrome.

Acute kidney injury (AKI), or worsening kidney function, is a common complication after liver transplantation (20-90% in published studies). Patients who experience AKI after liver transplantation have higher mortality, increased graft loss, longer hospital and intensive care unit stays, and more progression to chronic kidney disease compared with those who do not. In this study, half of the participants will have their body temperature cooled to slightly lower than normal (mild hypothermia) for a portion of the liver transplant operation, while the other half will have their body temperature maintained at normal. The study will evaluate if mild hypothermia protects from AKI during liver transplantation.

The primary objective of the study is to assess the safety and tolerability of REGN5459 (Part A) or REGN5458 (Part B) as monotherapy in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who need kidney transplantation and are highly sensitized to human leukocyte antigen (HLA). The secondary objectives of the study are to determine/assess the following for REGN5459 (Part A) or REGN5458 (Part B): - Dose regimen(s) that result in a clinically meaningful reduction of anti-HLA alloantibody levels - Effect on calculated panel-reactive antibody (cPRA) levels - Time to maximal and clinically meaningful reduction in anti-HLA alloantibody levels - Duration of the effect of study drug on the reduction of anti-HLA alloantibodies - Effect on circulating immunoglobulin (Ig) classes (isotypes) - Pharmacokinetics (PK) properties - Immunogenicity

The main study will be a two arm 10-month, cross-over randomized controlled trial of 200 participants treated with end-stage-kidney-disease treated with in-center hemodialysis in the Seattle and San Francisco area comparing a strategy of targeting home vs. pre-dialysis systolic blood pressure <140 mmHg to reduce rates of intradialytic hypotension. The target systolic blood pressure of <140 mmHg in both treatment groups will be achieved using an algorithm of dry weight adjustment and anti-hypertensive medication adjustment.

Kidney disease is a global health problem, affecting more than 10% of the world's population and more than half of adults over 70 years of age in the United States. Persons with kidney disease are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, heart failure, physical function decline, and mortality. Kidney scarring is a dominant factor in the development of kidney disease. Our group has evaluated several tests to determine the severity of scarring without requiring kidney biopsies, using MRI imaging scans and evaluating markers of scarring that we can measure in the urine. In this study we will use these measures to evaluate pirfenidone as a promising potential new treatment for patients with kidney disease.