Diabetic kidney disease is a leading cause of chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney failure worldwide. “We already know that SGLT2 inhibitors slow kidney damage in people with diabetes and kidney diseases,” Maekawa said. Hiroshi Maekawa, MD, PhD, was first author of the study. This discovery could pave the way for more targeted therapies to slow kidney disease progression in people with diabetes. “Our research shows that SGLT2 inhibition rewires the kidney metabolism and gene activity, uncovering a new way: the kidney defense itself.