title: Diagnosing kidney disease in the genetic era.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent technological improvements have increased the use of genetic testing in the clinic. This review serves to summarize the many practical benefits of genetic testing, discusses various methodologies that can be used clinically, and exemplifies ways in which genetics is propelling the field forward in nephrology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The advent of next-generation sequencing and microarray technologies has heralded an unprecedented number of discoveries in the field of nephrology, providing many opportunities for incorporating genomic diagnostics into clinical care. The use of genetic testing, particularly in pediatrics, can provide accurate diagnoses in puzzling cases, resolve misclassification of disease, and identify subsets of individuals with treatable conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Genetic testing may have broad benefits for patients and their families. Knowing the precise molecular etiology of disease can help clinicians determine the exact therapeutic course, and counsel patients and their families about prognosis. Genetic discoveries can also improve the classification of kidney disease and identify new targets for therapy.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, USA bRutgers Biomedical Health Sciences-NJMS, Newark, New Jersey, USA.
authors.forename: Sindhuri
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Prakash
authors.forename: Ali G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Gharavi
mesh_terms: D005820:Genetic Testing / Q000379:methods; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000628:therapy*; D057089:Pathology, Molecular; D011379:Prognosis