title: Therapeutic regulation of complement in patients with renal disease - where is the promise?
abstract: Numerous renal diseases are characterized by complement activation within the kidney, and several lines of evidence implicate complement activation as an important part of the pathogenesis of these diseases. Investigators have long anticipated that complement inhibitors would be important and effective therapies for renal diseases. Eculizumab is a monoclonal antibody to the complement protein C5 that has now been administered to patients with several types of renal disease. The apparent efficacy of this agent may herald a new era in the treatment of renal disease, but many questions about the optimal use of therapeutic complement inhibitors remain. Herein we review the rationale for using complement inhibitors in patients with renal disease and discuss several drugs and approaches that are currently under development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Denver, CO, USA. Joshua.Thurman@UCdenver.edu
authors.forename: Johua M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Thurman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D003167:Complement Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D015415:Biomarkers; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D003165:Complement System Proteins; C481642:eculizumab