Introduction to Division of Nephrology at Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University

The Division of Nephrology at the Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, is a leading academic center for prevention and treatment of kidney diseases in China, which currently contains several important research platforms, including National Clinical Research Center for Kidney Disease, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, National Key Clinical Specialty for Kidney Disease, and National Base for Drug Clinical Research. The Division consists of 4 subunits, including the kidney disease clinical center, blood purification center, kidney pathology center and research institute of nephrology. Equipped with over 120 in-hospital beds, the clinical center takes care of over 60,000 outpatients and more than 4,000 inpatients each year from all over China and Southeast Asia. Every year, the pathology center completes over 1,000 pathological diagnosis through kidney biopsies and provides over 700 second opinion consultations. The Division has established China Renal Data System, the first and largest big database in the field of nephrology in China. It collects medical profiles of over 10 million patients from 30 tertiary hospitals and hosts the largest biobank national wide by storing over 1.16 million samples including serum, urine, DNA, or RNA, and others. The Renal Biopsy Registration, another network led by the Division, has collected over 100,000 kidney biopsy data from more than 1,000 hospitals across the country.

TheDivision has assembled an outstanding team of physicians and medical scientists including academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Distinguished Expert, National Distinguished/Excellent Young Scholars, Chang Jiang Scholar, etc. The team have been awarded as the Innovative Team and the Outstanding Professional Group by the government.

The Division has undertaken many national-level major/key research projects, including the Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (973 Program), the 14th Five-year Plan’s National Key R&D Program, etc. These studies focus on the mechanisms underlying chronic kidney fibrosis, the epidemiology, risk prediction and personalized management of kidney diseases, and the translation of new drug and new technology for diagnosis and treatment in the field of nephrology. These findings have been published in prestigious international journals such asN Engl J Med, JAMA, Lancet, Nat Med,and in the top journal of nephrology, such asKidney Int, J Am Soc Nephrol. The team has won 5 times the State Scientific and Technological Progress Award and State Natural Science Award, obtained 53 invention patents, and completed 3 consulting reports on major disease for the medical and healthcare authority. The Division has developed a comprehensive prevention and treatment strategy for chronic kidney disease, which has been adapted across the country. As a part of its education mission, the Division has provided trainings for healthcare workers from primary level medical centers, and helped primary physicians with the improvement of medical care in rural and remote underdeveloped areas.