ASN Glomerular Diseases Update 2025

Advanced Glomerulonephritis, Lupus Nephritis & Precision Renal Pathology Review

The ASN Glomerular Diseases Update 2025 provides an intensive clinical review of modern glomerular disease diagnosis, renal pathology interpretation, and targeted therapeutic strategies. Presented as a dedicated Early Program in conjunction with ASN Kidney Week, this full-day educational update focuses on one of the most rapidly evolving and diagnostically challenging areas in nephrology.

As advances in molecular nephrology, complement biology, immunotherapy, and precision diagnostics continue reshaping kidney medicine, clinicians increasingly face difficult decisions regarding:

• Disease classification
• Biopsy interpretation
• Treatment escalation
• Immunosuppressive sequencing
• Genetic testing
• Prognostic risk assessment
• Complement-targeted therapy
• Biomarker-guided management

The course addresses these complexities through expert-led discussions that combine evidence-based medicine with practical clinical application.

Chaired by Dr. Rupali S. Avasare and Dr. John Cijiang He, the program brings together internationally recognized nephrologists, nephropathologists, and translational researchers to review contemporary approaches to glomerulonephritis and nephritis management.

Modern Glomerular Disease Management Is Becoming Increasingly Precision-Based

Historically, glomerular diseases were largely categorized according to histopathologic appearance and treated using broad immunosuppressive strategies. While biopsy findings remain central to diagnosis, modern nephrology increasingly recognizes that patients with similar histology may have profoundly different molecular drivers, therapeutic responses, and long-term prognoses.

This shift toward precision nephrology has accelerated rapidly over the last several years.

Today’s clinicians are increasingly expected to integrate:

• Histopathology
• Serologic markers
• Complement pathway abnormalities
• Genetic testing
• Molecular diagnostics
• Clinical phenotype

into individualized treatment plans.

The ASN Glomerular Diseases Update 2025 repeatedly emphasizes that successful glomerular disease management now requires far more than pattern recognition alone.

Advances in IgA Nephropathy Treatment

The IgA nephropathy sessions led by Dr. Richard A. Lafayette explore the rapidly changing therapeutic landscape for one of the most common glomerular diseases worldwide.

Topics include:

• Newly approved therapies
• Risk-based treatment selection
• Disease progression assessment
• Steroid-sparing approaches
• Individualized therapeutic planning

For years, treatment options for IgA nephropathy remained relatively limited despite highly variable disease behavior between patients. Recent pharmacologic advances have introduced more targeted approaches, forcing clinicians to reconsider traditional treatment algorithms.

One recurring challenge involves determining which patients truly require aggressive therapy versus conservative supportive management alone. The course appropriately focuses on balancing:

• Long-term renal preservation
• Medication toxicity
• Disease severity
• Proteinuria burden
• Risk of progression

rather than applying uniform treatment strategies to all patients.

Updated Lupus Nephritis Management

The lupus nephritis lectures presented by Dr. Samir V. Parikh review major changes in nephritis management and immunosuppressive sequencing.

Topics include:

• Combination immunotherapy
• Guideline-driven treatment updates
• Monitoring treatment response
• Add-on biologic therapies
• Maintenance therapy strategies
• Relapse prevention

Lupus nephritis management has become increasingly complex as newer biologic and targeted therapies expand therapeutic options beyond traditional steroid-heavy regimens.

Clinical decision-making becomes particularly nuanced when determining:

• When to escalate therapy
• How aggressively to suppress immune activity
• How long maintenance treatment should continue
• Which patients are most likely to benefit from combination strategies

The course highlights how individualized treatment planning is becoming increasingly important in autoimmune kidney disease.

ANCA-Associated Vasculitis & Emerging Therapeutic Strategies

Dr. Duvuru Geetha’s vasculitis sessions review both established and evolving approaches to ANCA-associated disease.

Topics include:

• Remission induction
• Maintenance immunosuppression
• Steroid minimization strategies
• Relapse risk assessment
• Emerging biologic therapies

Modern vasculitis care increasingly requires balancing effective disease suppression against:

• Infection risk
• Long-term immunosuppressive toxicity
• Organ preservation
• Cardiovascular complications

The symposium reflects how ANCA vasculitis management is gradually shifting toward more targeted immunologic approaches and away from older generalized immunosuppression paradigms.

Complement Pathway Targeting in Glomerular Disease

The complement-focused lectures delivered by Dr. Joshua M. Thurman examine one of the most scientifically transformative areas in nephrology.

Topics include:

• Complement cascade dysregulation
• Complement-mediated glomerular disease
• C3 glomerulopathy
• Novel complement inhibitors
• Targeted therapeutic strategies

Many renal diseases once considered poorly understood are now being reclassified through advances in complement biology and molecular immunology.

The course demonstrates how complement-targeted therapies are beginning to reshape:

• Disease classification
• Treatment selection
• Prognostic assessment
• Precision nephrology workflows

Genetics in Diagnosis & Therapeutic Planning

The genetics sessions led by Dr. Benjamin Wooden review the expanding role of nephrogenetics in daily clinical practice.

Topics include:

• Genetic testing interpretation
• Risk stratification
• Inherited glomerular disorders
• Precision therapeutic planning
• Genotype-informed diagnosis

Nephrologists increasingly encounter patients whose kidney disease cannot be fully explained using conventional diagnostic frameworks alone.

Genetic testing is becoming progressively relevant in:

• Familial kidney disease
• CKD of unclear etiology
• Early-onset nephropathy
• Complement-mediated disease
• Podocytopathies

The course appropriately emphasizes that genetic information increasingly influences both prognosis and treatment planning.

Monoclonal Gammopathy of Renal Significance (MGRS)

Dr. Nelson Leung’s MGRS lectures explore the complex interface between nephrology and hematologic disease.

Topics include:

• MGRS diagnosis
• Clone-directed therapy
• Renal biopsy interpretation
• Plasma cell disorders
• Clinical implications of paraproteinemia

These cases frequently present major diagnostic challenges because renal injury may occur even in the absence of overt hematologic malignancy.

The course highlights the importance of:

• Early recognition
• Multidisciplinary collaboration
• Accurate renal pathology interpretation
• Targeted hematologic evaluation

Artificial Intelligence in Renal Biopsy Analysis

One of the more forward-looking components of the course examines artificial intelligence applications in nephropathology.

Dr. Laura H. Mariani discusses:

• AI-assisted renal biopsy interpretation
• Prognostic prediction models
• Digital pathology integration
• Computational pathology workflows

Although still evolving, AI technologies may eventually improve:

• Histologic standardization
• Disease subclassification
• Outcome prediction
• Clinical trial stratification

Importantly, the course presents these technologies from a clinically realistic perspective rather than speculative technological enthusiasm alone.

Podocytopathy & Antibody-Mediated Disease Classification

The podocytopathy sessions led by Dr. Kristin Meliambro review emerging concepts involving:

• Antibody-mediated podocyte injury
• Molecular diagnostics
• Disease subclassification
• Novel biomarkers

The field is increasingly transitioning away from purely morphology-based diagnosis toward biologically informed disease categorization.

This evolution has major implications for:

• Precision therapy
• Prognostic modeling
• Future drug development
• Personalized nephrology care

Clinicopathologic Integration & Real-World Application

A major strength of the ASN Glomerular Diseases Update 2025 lies in its emphasis on practical translation into clinical care.

The course includes:

• Interactive case discussions
• Clinicopathologic conferences
• Biopsy interpretation sessions
• Therapeutic reasoning exercises

Clinicians gain practical exposure to:

• Complex nephritis management
• Renal biopsy interpretation
• Evidence-based treatment selection
• Genetic-informed clinical decision-making

Rather than focusing exclusively on theory, the program repeatedly emphasizes real-world nephrology workflows and longitudinal patient management.

Who Should Enroll

This course is ideal for:

• Practicing nephrologists
• Renal fellows and trainees
• Nephropathologists
• Internal medicine physicians
• Glomerular disease specialists
• Clinicians interpreting renal biopsy findings
• Researchers in renal immunology and nephropathology

Why This Course Matters

Glomerular diseases remain among the most diagnostically demanding and therapeutically complex conditions in nephrology. Rapid advances in complement inhibition, targeted immunotherapy, molecular diagnostics, genetics, and precision pathology continue to reshape clinical practice at an extraordinary pace.

The ASN Glomerular Diseases Update 2025 provides a clinically grounded and scientifically current review of these developments through expert-led discussions focused on practical implementation. By integrating modern research with real-world diagnostic reasoning and therapeutic decision-making, the course offers nephrologists valuable insight into the evolving future of precision glomerular disease management.