Autoimmune Glomerular Diseases: From Molecular Mechanisms to Precision Therapies

Autoimmune glomerular diseases (AGD) are the leading causes of end-stage renal disease, encompassing conditions such as membranous nephropathy, minimal change disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (anti-nephrin/slit diaphragm), anti-glomerular basement membrane disease, IgA nephropathy, lupus nephritis, and so on. These conditions arise from dysregulated immune responses, including genetic risk, autoantigen misrecognition, aberrant T/B cell activation, autoantibody production, immune complex or abnormal immunoglobulins deposition, and which drive glomerular cell injury, structural destruction, inflammation and fibrosis. Despite advances in understanding their pathogenesis—such as anti-PLA2R1/nephrin antibodies, IgA1 glycosylation defects and complement activation, early diagnosis and effective therapies remain limited. Current challenges include the heterogeneity of disease mechanisms, the lack of reliable biomarkers, and the need for individualized strategies. Recent breakthroughs in single-cell sequencing and precision immunotherapy offer new avenues. This research topic aims to consolidate cutting-edge research on AGD, bridging molecular mechanisms, diagnostic innovations, and translational therapies to improve patient outcomes.

Autoimmune glomerular diseases (AGD) remain a major unmet clinical challenge due to their complex pathogenesis and heterogeneous manifestations. Despite progress in understanding mechanisms like IgA1 glycosylation defects and anti-PLA2R1/anti-nephrin antibodies, current diagnostics lack specificity, and therapies often rely on broad immunosuppression with significant side effects. Recent advances in single-cell RNA sequencing have revealed new subsets of glomerular cells (e.g., new type of glomerular parietal epithelial cells), while multi-omics integration (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics) is enabling biomarker discovery for early detection and prognosis. Precision immunotherapy targeting B cells (e.g., anti-CD20) or complement pathways (e.g., C3 inhibitors) shows promise in clinical trials. To address these challenges, this Research Topic will focus on leveraging cutting-edge technologies to identify actionable pathways, develop non-invasive biomarkers, and design personalized treatment strategies. Collaborative efforts across nephrology, immunology, and bioinformatics are essential to translate these insights into improved patient outcomes.

This research topic focuses on Autoimmune Glomerular Diseases (AGD), emphasizing molecular mechanisms, diagnostic innovations, and therapeutic advancements. We invite Original Research, Review, and Mini-Review articles addressing the following key areas:

• Genetic predisposition and its causal relationship with autoimmune responses.

• Immunological mechanisms of abnormal autoimmune induction and autoantibody production.

• Pathogenic structure or protein modification of autoantibodies or related pathogenic mediators.

• Dynamic pathogenesis of glomerular injury mediated by immune complexes, autoantibodies, and downstream processes.

• Cellular injury and adaptive responses in glomeruli during autoimmune attacks, including mechanisms underlying glomerular pathological patterns.

• Noninvasive diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers available in serum or urine and their biological background.

• Translational therapeutic targets and drug development for autoimmune glomerular pathogenesis, including mechanisms of action.

• Precision application strategy, mechanism of action and molecular drug screening of traditional medical treatment programs such as traditional Chinese medicine.

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
• Conceptual Analysis
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• ... View all formats

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:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Conceptual Analysis
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Pathogenesis; Biomarkers; Precision Immunotherapy; Single-cell Sequencing; Autoantibodies

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.