The kidney is a vital organ in the human body and is one of the most complicated organs in terms of both structure and function. A dynamic interplay between the heart, brain and kidneys is an essential part of adaptive responses. Diabetes and hypertension are the leading causes of chronic kidney disease, a silent killer because patients lose kidney function gradually and undetected until the late stages. Diabetes and hypertension may damage the kidneys by increasing oxidative stress and tubular transport work, which together with impaired peritubular vascular function may lead to renal hypoxia, and eventually chronic kidney disease. The state of a kidney can be assessed by monitoring its structural integrity and functional capacity. The mechanisms underlying chronic kidney disease remain poorly understood. Due to this critical obstacle, effective therapies have not been developed.

Modern technology, experimental and computational approaches have advanced significantly, giving rise to high expectations in developing new diagnostic tools and therapeutics. This focus issue aims to highlight new interdisciplinary approaches – from imaging and modeling to new therapeutic targets – and bridge basic and translational research. We would like to bring together scientists working in different fields – from medicine, physiology and pharmacology to physics, engineering, and computer sciences – to look at unsolved problems in renal research from different angles and at different spatial/temporal scales. We believe that the mastery of these relationships is crucial for understanding the key aspects of kidney physiology and pathophysiology as well as for developing effective and novel treatment strategies for kidney diseases.

The scope of the current focus issue covers following topics that includes, but not limited to:
• Nephrovascular networks
• Renal blood flow dynamics and oxygen distribution
• Glomerular function and permselectivity
• Cell crosstalk in health and disease
• Heart-brain-kidney functional networks
• New methods for assessing renal networks
• New therapeutic targets and drugs

This Research Topic was formed in collaboration with the Third International Summer Institute of Network Physiology (ISINP 2022).

Submit your idea

Impact

Frontiers in Network Physiology

Participating Journals

Impact