2015 Homer W. Smith award: The podocyte from periphery to center stage

Abstract

This overview summarizes selected major developments over the last 40 years in understanding podocyte biology and its involvement in glomerular disease subjectively from my perspective. Serendipity has played a major role in my contributions to investigative nephrology that range from basic mechanisms of immune deposit formation in experimentalmembranous nephropathy to the role of amicroRNA in FSGS. This reviewemphasizes the importance of continuous reality checks of experimental results obtained in vitro or with genetically modified animals with human disease.