Glomerulonephritis is inflammation of the kidney's filtering units, which can be triggered by infections, autoimmune disease, or other causes. Some forms resolve on their own, while others lead to chronic kidney disease. Treatment depends on the underlying cause and may include immunosuppressants, targeted therapies, or supportive care to protect kidney function.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing complement inhibitors that block specific immune proteins driving kidney damage, B-cell therapies that target antibody-producing cells, and new immunosuppressants with fewer side effects than steroids. Researchers are also studying biomarkers to predict which patients will progress and which treatments will work best for specific forms of glomerulonephritis.
Complement inhibitors
Drugs that block the complement system — a chain reaction of immune proteins — are showing promise in forms of glomerulonephritis driven by this pathway. Iptacopan and other complement blockers are being tested in IgA nephropathy and C3 glomerulopathy.
B-cell targeted therapies
Rituximab and newer B-cell therapies are being studied in membranous nephropathy and other antibody-driven forms. These drugs may work as well as traditional immunosuppressants with a different side effect profile.
Precision approaches
Genetic testing and kidney biopsy analysis are helping to identify which patients have specific molecular drivers of disease. This may allow matching patients to therapies that target their particular form of glomerulonephritis.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on the specific type of glomerulonephritis, kidney function level, amount of protein in the urine, and whether standard treatments have been tried.
What types of trials are currently open
- Drug trials — Testing new immunosuppressants, complement inhibitors, or targeted therapies against standard treatments like steroids or cyclophosphamide.
- Combination therapy trials — Testing whether combining two drugs works better than one, or whether a new drug can reduce the need for steroids.
- Biomarker studies — Collecting blood and urine samples to find markers that predict disease progression or treatment response.
- Registry studies — Long-term follow-up of people with glomerulonephritis to understand natural history and real-world treatment outcomes.
- Biopsy studies — Analyzing kidney tissue to understand disease mechanisms and guide personalized treatment choices.
Recently added Glomerulonephritis trials
Take kidney disease medications guided by regular blood marker checks
The goal of this open-label, randomized study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the personalized treatment model in which Gd-IgA1 is dynamically monitored to guide medication adjustment in progressive IgAN patients treated with Nefecon or telitacicept. Researchers will compare two groups of participants: those who have Gd-IgA1 checked regularly during treatment, and those who do not. This is to find out if regular Gd-IgA1 checks can help doctors adjust medication better and get better treatment results.
Take combination medications to treat lupus kidney disease
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn how different treatments affect immune cells in the kidney in people with active lupus nephritis (LN), a kidney manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). It will also investigate whether early changes in kidney tissue can predict long-term treatment response and whether blood or urine biomarkers can be used to monitor disease activity without the need for repeat kidney biopsies. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does adding voclosporin to standard treatment with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and prednisolone result in greater early improvement of kidney inflammation compared with MMF and prednisolone alone? * Are specific macrophage and monocyte populations associated with treatment response and long-term kidney outcomes? * Can blood- or urine-based biomarkers be identified that reflect kidney inflammation and treatment response? Researchers will compare MMF, prednisolone, and voclosporin (triple therapy) with MMF and prednisolone alone (dual therapy) to determine whether intensified treatment leads to faster and more complete immunological and histological remission. Participants with newly diagnosed or relapsing proliferative lupus nephritis will: * Be randomly assigned to receive either triple therapy (MMF, prednisolone, and voclosporin) or dual therapy (MMF and prednisolone). * Undergo a kidney biopsy before treatment starts and a repeat kidney biopsy after 3 months of treatment. * Provide blood and urine samples during follow-up for immune cell analyses and biomarker studies. * Complete patient-reported outcomes questionnaires * Attend regular study visits and clinical assessments for up to 2 years. In addition, participants with SLE without lupus nephritis and healthy volunteers will provide blood samples to allow comparison of circulating immune cell populations between groups.
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