Rationale and Design for a Phase 1 Study of -Acetylmannosamine for Primary Glomerular Diseases.

Introduction: Sialic acids are important contributors to the polyanionic component of the glomerular filtration barrier, which regulates permeability selectivity. Pathologic glomerular hyposialylation, associated with podocyte effacement, has been implicated in human and mouse glomerulopathies. Oral treatment with -acetylmannosamine (ManNAc), the uncharged precursor of sialic acid, ameliorates glomerular pathology in different models of glomerular disease.