From intravenous aminophylline to genomic testing: What did we learn from WCN’26 abstract award winners?
The WCN’26 interviews with abstract award winners offer a snapshot of the ideas, methods, and questions shaping kidney care today. Alongside their findings, several winners noted the value of ISN Grant opportunities in supporting their research.
Masaya Muto (Japan), winner of the Young Nephrologists Best Abstract Award: Basic Science, highlighted a novel automated immunoassay designed to detect anti-nephrin autoantibodies with high sensitivity. His team’s findings suggest that the assay could help distinguish active nephrotic syndrome from remission and support its use as a clinically relevant biomarker.
Read the abstract in the supplement to Kidney International Reports®
Naoyuki Shimada (Japan), one of the WCN’26 Best Abstract Award winners, highlighted research into the molecular mechanisms that help podocytes maintain the kidney’s filtration barrier. His abstract focused on how GIT1 and GIT2 cooperatively sustain the ARHGEF7-CDC42 axis and preserve glomerular permselectivity, pointing to pathways that may be important in glomerular disease.
Read the abstract in the supplement to Kidney International Reports®
Becky Mingyao Ma (Hong Kong), ISN Emerging Leaders Program cohort 3 member and winner of the Mentorship Abstract Award 2nd prize, began an ISN Mentorship in 2024 with Nora Franceschini to research genetic kidney disease. Her WCN’26 abstract highlighted the value of targeted whole-genome sequencing in adults with chronic kidney disease of unexplained cause, emphasizing the potential of genomic testing to improve diagnostic precision in nephrology.
Read the abstract in the supplement to Kidney International Reports®
Winner of the ISN Clinical Research Project (CRP) Best Abstract Award 1st prize, Sukanya Govindan (India), offered a clear example of how ISN support can help move a strong research idea forward. Dr. Govindan received support from the ISN Clinical Research Program after receiving feedback and guidance from an ISN Mentor. At WCN’26, she presented a multicenter randomized trial of intravenous aminophylline to prevent acute kidney injury (AKI) in sick neonates, reflecting her broader interest in pediatric AKI and low-cost kidney replacement therapies.
In the interview, Dr. Govindan explains that she has benefited from several additional ISN grant opportunities, including an ISN Fellowship and the Scientific Writing Course, which helped strengthen her research presentation. Her advice to others interested in a CRP grant is practical: start with a strong research question, especially one with the potential to change clinical practice.
Read the abstract in the supplement to Kidney International Reports®
Together, these interviews highlight both the scientific breadth on display at WCN’26 and the value of supporting researchers at different stages of their careers.
Watch all WCN’26 video interviews, including those featuring top-scoring abstracts
Explore all WCN’26 abstracts in the supplement to Kidney International Reports®
