Found in Translation: Reasons for Optimism in the Pursuit to Prevent Chronic Kidney Disease After Acute Kidney Injury

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The current review will discuss on the progress of studying the transition phase between acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) through improved animal models, common AKI and CKD pathways, and how human studies may inform different translational approaches. SOURCES OF INFORMATION: PubMed and Google Scholar. METHODS: A narrative review was performed using the main terms “acute kidney injury,” “chronic kidney disease,” “end-stage renal disease,” “animal models,” “review,” “decision-making,” and “translational research.” KEY FINDINGS: The last decade has shown much progress in the study of AKI, including evidence of a pathophysiological link between AKI and CKD. We are now in a phase of redesigning animal models and discovering mechanisms that can replicate the pathological conditions of the AKI-to-CKD continuum. Translating these findings into the clinic is a barrier that must be overcome. To this end, current efforts include prediction of AKI onset and maladaptive repair, detecting patients susceptible to the progression of chronic maladaptive repair, and understanding shared signaling mechanisms between AKI and CKD. LIMITATIONS: This is a narrative review of the literature that is partially influenced by the knowledge, perspectives, and experiences of the authors and their research background. IMPLICATIONS: Overall, this new knowledge from the AKI-to-CKD continuum will help bridge the discontinuity that exists between animal models and patients, resulting in more effective translational biomarkers and therapeutics to test in known AKI pathologies thereby preventing the chronicity of kidney injury progression.