WCN 2026 Recap: 5 Key Updates in Kidney Disease to Know

Recent data presented at the 2026 World Congress of Nephrology (WCN) highlight advances across chronic kidney disease (CKD), IgA nephropathy (IgAN), and lupus nephritis, including late-breaking trial results for iptacopan, semaglutide, and atrasentan, as well as emerging approaches such as CAR-T cell therapy.

Together with insights from large observational cohorts like NEPTUNE and CureGN, these findings reflect a shift toward precision medicine, with growing emphasis on linking molecular mechanisms to clinical outcomes to improve patient selection and slow disease progression.

HCPLive’s editorial team has compiled 5 of the most informative discussions, along with key data from WCN. Catch up on key findings from the conference below:

​​NEPTUNE and CureGN Driving Precision Nephrology Forward, With Alessia Fornoni, MD, PhD

In an interview, Alessia Fornoni, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine, Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, and Biochemistry at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Director and Chair of the Peggy and Harold Katz Drug Discovery Center, said NEPTUNE and CureGN are reshaping how clinicians and researchers conceptualize kidney disease, shifting the focus from histologic patterns to underlying molecular mechanisms and patient-specific biology.

These natural history studies provide a critical foundation for linking clinical presentation, demographics, and long-term outcomes, enabling a more precise understanding of disease heterogeneity through integrated genomic and molecular analyses.

From FLOW to REMODEL: Understanding Semaglutide in CKD, With Katherine Tuttle, MD

In an interview, Katherine Tuttle, MD, explained that REMODEL builds on the success of the FLOW trial, which demonstrated significant reductions in kidney events, cardiovascular outcomes, and all-cause mortality with semaglutide, ultimately leading to its US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in chronic kidney disease.

While those findings established clinical efficacy, they did not fully elucidate the underlying biology. REMODEL was designed as a mechanistic “deep dive,” integrating advanced imaging, kidney biopsy, and transcriptomic analyses to better understand treatment effects. By linking mechanistic signatures to outcomes, the study provides a framework for identifying responders and tailoring therapy.

Related: REMODEL: Mechanistic Insights Into Semaglutide in CKD, With Petter Bjornstad, MD

Can CAR-T Cell Therapy Transform Lupus Nephritis Care? With Brad Rovin, MD

The emergence of CAR-T cell therapy represents a potentially transformative step in lupus nephritis, reflecting the field’s broader shift toward precision medicine and targeted immune modulation. In an interview, Brad Rovin, MD, explained that treatment has historically relied on broadly acting immunosuppressive therapies such as cyclophosphamide or mycophenolate, which “treat everything” but fail to account for biological variability across patients.

This one-size-fits-all approach is increasingly being replaced by more tailored strategies, particularly as more than half of patients do not achieve complete clinical remission with existing options.

Kidney Compass: New 2-Year APPLAUSE-IgAN Data for Iptacopan at WCN 2026

In this episode of Kidney Compass, hosts Shikha Wadhwani, MD, MS, and Brendon Neuen, MBBS, PhD, spoke with Vlado Perkovic, MBBS, PhD, about newly presented 2-year eGFR slope data from the phase 3 APPLAUSE-IgAN trial evaluating iptacopan.

Perkovic emphasized the key remaining question: whether the 38% reduction in proteinuria observed at 9 months translates into long-term kidney protection in this high-risk population, characterized by median proteinuria of approximately 1.7 g/g and rapid progression in the placebo arm, where eGFR declined by >6 mL/min/1.73 m² per year.

Related: APPLAUSE-IgAN: Iptacopan (Fabhalta) Exhibits 49.3% Slower eGFR Decline in IgAN Patients Than Placebo

Kidney Compass: ASSIST Trial Shows Atrasentan Benefit on Top of SGLT2 Inhibitors

In this episode of Kidney Compass, hosts Brendon Neuen, MBBS, PhD, and Shikha Wadhwani, MD, MS, sat down with Hiddo Heerspink, PhD, PharmD, to discuss the phase 2 ASSIST trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of atrasentan in combination with SGLT2 inhibitors.

The study was intentionally designed to reflect a rapidly evolving standard of care, as increasing evidence supports SGLT2 inhibitors in chronic kidney disease. As a result, ASSIST addresses a key clinical question: whether additional therapies such as atrasentan can provide incremental benefit when layered onto existing treatment.