Kidney transplantation has significantly advanced, improving the prognosis and quality of life for patients with kidney failure. Despite remarkable progress, persistent challenges remain, notably in understanding, diagnosing, and managing non-neoplastic kidney diseases that affect graft survival and transplant outcomes.
Additionally, the utilization of organs from donors after circulatory death (DCD donors) has augmented the donor pool. However, kidneys from DCD donors frequently show distinct pathological alterations due to the unique characteristics of donation, ischemia/reperfusion injury, and subsequent recovery periods, raising ongoing concerns about optimal evaluation and management.
Recent research has highlighted specific pathological findings associated with the use of kidneys from DCD donors, such as acute tubular injury, interstitial fibrosis, and increased susceptibility to graft dysfunction. However, detailed insights into the pathological mechanisms and the prognostic implications of these entities, along with the best approaches to diagnostics, management, and intervention strategies, remain substantially incomplete.
Furthermore, non-neoplastic kidney diseases, such as glomerulopathies, tubulointerstitial disorders, and infectious complications, profoundly impact graft function and longevity, underscoring an urgent need for further investigation and consensus on their evaluation and clinical management.
This Research Topic aims to comprehensively explore and delineate non-neoplastic kidney pathology encountered in renal transplantation, particularly emphasizing the challenges and opportunities presented by the growing use of kidneys from DCD donors. Specific objectives include improving our understanding of pathological processes, identifying biomarkers predictive of outcomes, refining diagnostic accuracy and classification schemes, and optimizing clinical protocols to enhance graft quality and transplant survival rates.
To gather further insights into non-neoplastic kidney pathology and transplant pathology with an emphasis on kidneys from DCD donors, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
• Pathologic characteristics and clinical outcomes specific to kidneys transplanted from DCD donors.
• Novel diagnostic biomarkers and predictive indicators for graft dysfunction and adverse clinical outcomes in DCD kidneys.
• Mechanisms and management strategies for ischemia/reperfusion injury in renal allografts.
• Evaluation and clinicopathological correlations of glomerular and tubulointerstitial disorders in renal transplant recipients.
• Infectious, immune-mediated, and inflammatory non-neoplastic conditions influencing transplant kidney histopathology and function.
Accepted article types include original research, reviews, case reports, methods, mini-reviews, perspectives, commentary, and opinion articles.
Article types and fees
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Brief Research Report
Case Report
Clinical Trial
Editorial
FAIR² Data
General Commentary
Hypothesis and Theory
Methods
Mini Review
Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.
Article types
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
