A new, experimental drug appears to reduce the size and the number of cysts when tested on mice.
PKD is a common fatal inherited disease, and at the present moment there is no treatment available for it. Eventually it leads to loss of kidney function, and eventually dialysis or a transplant becomes necessary.
By inhibiting a receptor called c-Met, the drug lead to less cyst formation. It was tested by giving the compound to pregnant mice and examining their embryos.
The next stage to continue the research, trying adult mice, other animal models and eventually, check the drug's usefulness in humans. With all drug research, this will be a long and careful process to avoid any side effects.
The research article can be read at The Journal of Clinical Investigation. It's a very technical article, as you'd expect for a research paper.
