It is with enthusiasm and optimism that the authors announce the launch of the International Society of Glomerular Disease (ISGD) (Fig. 1). This new medical society is envisioned as a professional hub for the worldwide community of physicians, researchers, and other stakeholders and individuals with expertise and interest in glomerular disease, with the ultimate goal of improving clinical outcomes of patients impacted by glomerular disease. Within the past decade, we have experienced a sea change, with significant and accelerating advances spanning all areas from basic research to clinical trials and newly approved treatments. The field of glomerular disease has never received more interest from industry and regulatory bodies and the best and brightest researchers and clinicians.

Fig. 1.

ISGD membership as of July 20, 2023. Circle size indicates number of members; colors indicate cities. Map data © 2023 Google, INEGI.

Fig. 1.

ISGD membership as of July 20, 2023. Circle size indicates number of members; colors indicate cities. Map data © 2023 Google, INEGI.

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Building on the foundation of this success is a future envisioned to bring highly effective and targeted treatments to prevent and/or halt the progression of glomerular diseases. Far too many people with glomerular disease are only diagnosed late in the course of their disease, when renal function has already severely declined; experience barriers in accessing quality clinical care tailored to their condition; or are relegated to simply waiting to progress to ESRD. Through organizationally uniting the global community of glomerular experts, our goal was to build a future where all people with rare kidney disease can access accurate, early diagnosis, and targeted treatments to preserve the health of their kidneys.

In forming the ISGD, we recognize and applaud the formidable continuing efforts being undertaken by national and international nephrology societies; research and clinical trials consortia; advocacy foundations; and additional entities such as this journal, educational projects, and other allied organizations. ISGD was founded to amplify and collaborate with these efforts toward shared goals, rather than duplicate them. The society has deliberately adopted an inclusive, cross-stakeholder global model that brings together physicians from diverse practice areas, specialties, and settings, along with perspectives from patients, industry, and allied organizations. At the time of publication, our members include diverse individuals from more than 60 countries on 6 continents (Fig. 1), whose expertise spans adult and pediatric nephrology, nephropathology, immunology, genetics and genomics, clinical trials, and the entire spectrum of research from basic to clinical and translational science.

Our efforts are organized around five focus areas: membership, peer support, education, clinical trials, and basic/translational research. Each of these also constitutes a Pillar Committee undertaking a roadmap of projects to strengthen the opportunities available to professionals in this field and bring better care to patients.

With great enthusiasm, the society is now open to general membership for all interested individuals (https://www.is-gd.org/). We welcome expressions of interest in joining Pillar Committees and actively working on ISGD projects, as well as proposals for collaboration from allied organizations.

ISGD looks forward to providing member benefits such as mentorship programs, rapid access to worldwide experts, opportunities for international research partnerships, study-matching tools, suggested educational curriculum ideas, and resources to aid in establishing worldwide glomerular disease clinics and centers of excellence. Further, to support the ISGD research community, Glomerular Diseases papers will be available to society members through a link on the society website, and article-processing charges will be reduced for all publications where ISGD members are the submitting corresponding authors.

We are excited about fostering connections and nurturing the global community committed to improving the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of glomerular diseases, leading us toward a future of precision glomerular medicine. Our collective efforts aimed to elevate global glomerular health to novel heights.

ISGD, now an independent nonprofit organization, was initially envisioned by NephCure and its patient advocacy leaders. We are grateful for the support of NephCure in establishing the society. We immensely appreciate the ongoing dedication, time, and ideas of all our Advisory Board and Pillar Committee members. We would particularly like to thank our Steering Committee: Laura Barisoni, Annette Bruchfeld, Kirk Campbell, Alessia Fornoni, Rasheed Gbadegesin, Jula Inrig, Koyal Jain, Kenar Jhaveri, Matthias Kretzler, Hiddo Lambers Heerspink, Rachel Lennon, Elena Levtchenko, Liz Lightstone, Jun Oh, Heather Reich, Paola Romagnani, Brad Rovin, Matt Sampson, Sydney Tang, Pierre-Louis Tharaux, and Marina Vivarelli. We are grateful to our counterparts at allied organizations for their generous insights and shared goals.

Laurel J. Damashek is the executive director of the International Society of Glomerular Disease. She is a member of the NephCure Board of Directors and reports consulting work from NephCure prior to the establishment of ISGD. Sharon G. Adler is the current treasurer of the International Society of Glomerular Disease and the editor-in-chief of Glomerular Diseases. She reports having clinical trial, Advisory Board, and/or speaker financial relationships in the past 12 months with AstraZeneca, Bayer, River 3, Caladrius, Calliditas, Equillium, Liberum, Omeros, Vertex, Travere, and Zyversa Pharmaceuticals; grant support from the Nephrotic Syndrome Study Network, CureGN; and the Kidney Research Network; and CME speakerships with Liberum, Medscape, and the National Kidney Foundation. Joshua M. Tarnoff is the current Secretary of the International Society of Glomerular Disease and the CEO of NephCure. Tobias B. Huber is the current Society President of the International Society of Glomerular Disease. He reports having consultancy agreements with Alexion, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, DaVita, Fresenius Medical Care, Novartis, Pfizer, Retrophin-Travere, and Vifor; receiving research funding from Amicus Therapeutics, Fresenius Medical Care; and being on the Editorial Board of Kidney International and the Advisory Board of Nature Reviews Nephrology.

The International Society of Glomerular Disease has received financial support from Travere Therapeutics, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Chinook Therapeutics, and in-kind support from NephCure and the International Podocyte Conference. These bodies had no role in the preparation of the manuscript.

The manuscript was drafted by Laurel J. Damashek and edited by Tobias B. Huber, Sharon G. Adler, and Joshua M. Tarnoff.