Kidney Disease

Nichole's Story

Kidney disease affects the body’s ability to filter blood, extra water, and waste out of a person’s system. These conditions can be chronic or acute.¹

At Biogen, we have a portfolio of investigational and approved drugs intended to target immune-mediated and complement-driven kidney diseases with serious unmet need. By leveraging our expertise in immunology, nephrology, clinical development, and commercialization, we hope to bring new options to people living with these conditions, many of which have limited treatment options.

AMR is a leading cause of kidney transplant failure and occurs when the recipient’s immune system attacks the transplanted kidney. The immune system releases donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) that recognize the donor kidney as foreign and target it, raising the risk of rejection. Natural killer (NK) cells can also play an important role in AMR by promoting inflammation and damage to the transplanted kidney, both in the presence and absence of detectable DSAs.

Treatment options are currently limited, with no approved therapies designed to specifically treat AMR.^2,3

In patients with MVI, small blood vessels in the transplanted kidney, called glomeruli and peritubular capillaries, are injured, which may be a sign of rejection. MVI is a key diagnostic feature of AMR but can also occur on its own. Our research is focused on understanding the role of MVI in transplant-related kidney injury and on exploring whether reducing inflammation could help slow or prevent further damage to the transplanted kidney.

IgAN is a chronic autoimmune disease where defective immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibody complexes build up in the glomeruli, impacting the kidney’s ability to filter waste. The build-up can cause inflammation and scarring and may result in kidney failure. It is estimated that nearly half of people with IgAN experience delays in being correctly diagnosed, which can lead to further decline in kidney function.⁴

PMN is a severe antibody-mediated kidney disease in which a person’s immune system attacks the glomeruli, causing severe protein leakage (proteinuria), nephrotic syndrome, and, ultimately, kidney failure. The current standard of care involves immunosuppressants as there is no approved treatment specifically for PMN.

C3G and primary IC-MPGN are rare, severe kidney diseases in which the complement cascade is overactive. This results in the excessive breakdown of a protein called C3, and its breakdown products become trapped in the kidney, causing inflammation and damage to the organ. Without treatment, these rare diseases often lead to kidney failure within five to 10 years of diagnosis, requiring patients to go on dialysis or get a kidney transplant.⁵