The upcoming ISN World Congress of Nephrology (WCN 2015) covers cutting-edge medical science and educational sessions on pertinent topics with a particular emphasis on the risk factors that are most prominent in Africa.

Held for the first time on the African continent, it will take place from March 13 to 17, 2015 in Cape Town, South Africa.

“The goals of ISN’s 0by25 humanitarian initiative lead many sessions,” says ISN President Giuseppe Remuzzi, who supports one of ISN’s most important missions that nobody should die unnecessarily of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) by 2025.

In addition to AKI worldwide, sessions will also look at the causes and consequences of the epidemics of diabetes and hypertension. Special focus will be given to kidney diseases caused by polluted waters, parasitic and infectious diseases, such as HIV.

Growing technology can now sequence at once a large number of genes involved in a family of diseases, making the genetic diagnosis easier, faster and cheaper. “It will soon be possible to establish cartographies of genetic risk for major pathologies such as chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hypertension and propose the best treatment. Once costs are reduced, low-income countries will benefit from this revolutionary progress,” adds Pierre Ronco, ISN WCN 2015 Scientific Committee Chair.

Several plenary sessions will intermingle issues common to adults and children. Hypertension and kidney disease: The fault is not in our stars, but may be in our embryos” presented by Barry M. Brenner (USA) and Why and how ageing makes us sick? by Tom Kirkwood (UK) cover diseases from early childhood to ageing. Particular emphasis will be given to pregnancy disorders and perinatal issues, insufficient access to primary care and the effect of nutrition and infection on pregnancy.

WCN 2015 also features French and English Continuous Nephrology Education sessions to make new knowledge more accessible and an Allied Health Professionals Symposium recognizing the crucial role of allied health professionals who treat CKD. The program includes talks on CKD prevention and the nurse’s role in recognizing pre-renal failure. Dialysis guidelines will be in the spotlight, as well as the important aspects of CKD-MBD and vascular access. The best abstracts will be presented during the day.