Here is is, fellow nephrons, as voted on by the Blue Ribbon Panel: your 2025 NephMadness champion! Check out the Final Standings and share your reactions with #NephMadness!

Many thanks to Krithika Mohan @krithicism for the scoreboard graphics!

Team Minimal Change Disease Diagnosis and Pathogenesis got out to an early lead. In the second half, Team CAR-T for Autoimmune Diseases‘s strong offense brought them back, and left the game tied with 5 seconds to go. Team MCD had possession, but a quick steal by Team CAR-T for Autoimmune Diseases and a slam dunk at the buzzer ended this thrilling championship matchup!

CAR-T for Autoimmune Dz wins 5-4

Comments from the BRP:

“I think that usually by the time we get to the final match up, the winner is obvious but this final match up was one of the toughest choices of all time.”

“Now this #NephMadness may be the toughest FINAL matchup I have ever seen in my 6 (?) years on the BRP. Two science based finalists are unusual, usually one is a social, public health contestant. I LOVE both of these (although not my finalists I still posit dropping Hemodiafiltration so early was an epic #BlueRibbonFail; what could possibly be bigger than improving survival of ESKD patients on HD). The finalists are both technological marvels. The elephant in the room is “where was anti-nephrin antibody dusting hiding all these years”? But I worry that CAR-T will stall like CRISPR and stem cell transplants for these awful diseases and will only apply to a small subset of patients. On the other hand I still believe we are just beginning to understand podocytopathies, diseases that are not uncommon and if this story can expand to 1/2 of what the MGN Antibody antigen story has evolved into, this will be a REAL game changer for a LOT of people. MCD Diagnosis and Pathogenesis for the win, even though I predict the BRP will choose the space age technology of CAR-T.”

“Shocked (and devastated) to see these 2 in the final. I asked if I could abstain from voting, and was not allowed. I guess let’s go anti-nephrin? A little more championship worthy than CAR-T? I miss you, Novel Rx for HTN. You’ll always be the real winner. There’s always next year. And then the revenge will taste oh so sweet.”

“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.”

“A real toughie. CAR-T feel like they may be the future but minimal change is the grind that we know. Anyone who sees a lot of patients with nephrotic syndrome knows how bad frequent relapses can be for patients living with this disease. MCD it is for me.”

Winners will be announced later this week!

Click to read the full CAR-T for Kidney Disease Region

COMMENTARY BY ZAINAB OBAIDI:
CAR-T – The First of its Name

COMMENTARY BY JEFFREY SPARKS:
CAR-T for Autoimmunity – Driving to the Championship

Did you miss any of the results? Catch up here: 

Current Standings | Match Results | Effluent 8 | Filtered 4 | Left & Right Kidneys

#NephMadness | #NephMadness  

Reminder:

US-based physicians can earn 1.0 CME credit and 1.0 MOC per region through NKF PERC (detailed instructions here). The CME and MOC activity will expire on June 1, 2025.