The kidneys serve a number of vital functions including the clearance of metabolic waste products from the organism, water and electrolyte homeostasis, blood pressure and acid-base regulation, erythropoietin production, and bone and mineral metabolism.

Acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease represent worldwide public health problems with increasing incidence and prevalence, poor outcomes, and high costs. In Western Europe and the United States, more than 10% of the population is affected by CKD, and 1 person out of 1000 requires a lifesaving renal replacement therapy – either dialysis or transplantation. The burden of both acute and chronic kidney diseases is not restricted to renal failure, but also includes an increased risk of cardiovascular events, systemic complications and death. Over the years, the Pole of Nephrology (NEFR) and the Division of Nephrology of the Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc have developed a unique and internationally recognized expertise in many areas of both translational/experimental and clinical research.