Abatacept May Prevent Kidney Disease Advance in Diabetics

Abatacept may help in preventing the progression of kidney disease in patients with diabetes, according to a study slated for publication in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Paolo Fiorina, MD, PhD, of Boston Children’s Hospital, and colleagues used the drug to target B7-1, a receptor that is expressed by kidney cells during progression to diabetic nephropathy. Abatacept maintained kidney function in mice with diabetic nephropathy.

“The next steps will be to test anti-B7-1 in individuals with diabetes and diabetic nephropathy to see if they can abrogate the progression of the disease in humans as well,” Dr. Fiorina stated.

Abatacept is primarily used to treat autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis by targeting receptors expressed in immune cells.