Treatment of Diverse Renal Diseases with Regulatory Cells

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Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major cause of death and disability in the Australian population. Current treatments for CKD are non-specific and frequently ineffective. As a consequence, kidney failure progresses to the stage where patients require dialysis or tranplantation to remain alive. Every year more than 1700 Australians require kidney replacement therapy for this reason and many more die of kidney failure or its complications. Some forms of kidney disease are self-limited whereas others are characterised by chronic kidney scarring and the eventual development of endstage disease. This project will explore whether natural protective cells (regulatory T cells) can be used to treat differing types of CKD, including those characterised predominantly by inflammation or by fibrosis. In addition, the protective mechanisms of regulatory T cells (including their interaction with resident kidney cells) will be explored, as will ways of increasing the efficacy of regulatory T cell therapy.