Looking Deeper into Genetic Variants of FSGS, with Jennifer Lai Yee, MD, PhD, MPH

Patients with the genetic form of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (gFSGS) benefitted from sparsentan treatment, similarly to those with other forms of FSGS.

These findings, from a posthoc analysis of the largest clinical trial to date in FSGS, were presented by principal investigator Jennifer Lai Yee, MD, PhD, MPH, of the Department of Pediatrics in the Division of Nephrology at the University of Michigan, at the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week 2024.

Yee and colleagues conducted a posthoc analysis of the DUPLEX trial, which evaluated efficacy of sparsentan compared with irbesartan. In 31 participants with gFSFS, the investigators observed a more pronounced antiproteinuric response with sparsentan than irbesartan throughout the study.

In the post-hoc analysis, Yee and colleagues identified a total of 31 individuals identified as having gFSGS. Relative to the overall DUPLEX population, patients with gFSGS were younger and had a greater eGFR at baseline, with most having a nephrotic-range proteinuria.

Yee spoke with HCPLive about the importance of looking into specific groups within the heterogenous category of FSGS, such as gFSGS. She shared more research that she is conducting and would like to conduct further with gFSGS, and also gave a brief overview of research on nephrotic syndrome that she presented on during Kidney Week as well.

“Even under the genetic form of FSGS, there are many different kind of mutations or variations. And we know that the patients with collagen mutation may [have disease that] behave[s] differently. And also, this collagen mutation has been found to be very common in the patients with FSGS, which is traditionally sought to cause Alport syndrome,” Yee said, noting the focus of some of her research aiming to classify variants of gFSGS.

REFERENCE

Lai Yee J, Gong W, Inrig JK, et al. Outcomes of the DUPLEX Trial in Patients with Genetic Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (gFSGS). Presented at American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week 2024. San Diego, CA. October 23-27, 2024.