Soluble CD146, novel target to prevent fibrosis during chronic kidney disease – CKD-fibrotarget

The interstitial fibrosis is a major health problem because it causes dysfunction of many organs and is responsible for a high degree of morbidity and mortality due to organ injury. The frequency of pathologies with fibrosis increases progressively due to aging of the population and increase in risk factors due to occidental way of life. In this way, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the pathologies associated with fibrosis, leading to renal dysfunction and to end stage renal disease. However, until now, no specific biomarker and no treatment are available,requiring to further study the molecular regulation of renal fibrosis. Our hypothesis is that soluble CD146 (sCD146), a new growth factor secreted abundantly during CKD, is involved in the development of interstitial fibrosis. The objective of our project will thus be to delineate the contribution of sCD146 to kidney fibrosis development, to evaluate its diagnostic interest as a biomarker, and to test newly generated anti-sCD146 antibodies as a new therapeutic approach.