About the Network

During the Second International IgA Nephropathy Symposium in Bari, Italy in 1987, participants from four countries, Guiseppe D’Amico (Italy), Hideto Sakai (Japan), Tony Clarkson (Australia), and Bruce Julian (USA), met to organize an informal group, the IgA Nephropathy Club. The purpose was to increase awareness of the clinical importance of the disease and to encourage national and international collaboration in clinical and basic science research.

Everyone agreed that the two symposia, the first having been held in Milano, Italy in 1983, had been well organized and served to personalize relationships between investigators who had a common goal to solve the mysteries and puzzles presented by IgA nephropathy.

This kidney disease had become recognized as the most common form of primary glomerulonephritis in the short time span since its initial description by Berger & Hinglais in 1968. However, up to that point, the clinical impact of the disease was underappreciated by nephrologists and other physicians in many countries. The gatherings at the symposia spawned productive collaborative clinical and laboratory undertakings. These efforts increased awareness of the disease in many medical communities and agencies funding medical research.

Over the ensuing years, an international symposium has been held every two to three years. The members of the IgA Nephropathy Club encouraged interested investigators to organize meetings at venues that have rotated between continents, so that young scientists, physicians, and students in many regions of the world could more easily attend. A listing of past and future symposia can be found at the Meetings link on this website. The topics at these meetings have touched on most of the state-of–the-art work in the field. The interactions between the attendees has often been instrumental in stimulating new investigative approaches. The opportunity to review the results and discuss the implications was frequently beneficial in the preparation of more polished manuscripts to be submitted for publication.

In 2000 the IgA Nephropathy Club recognized the need to rejuvenate its format. A more encompassing name was selected, The International IgA Nephropathy Network (IIgANN). The new efforts included changing its approach to a management committee with additional members from more research centers. Also, a website was started to better disseminate scientific information and educational materials to physicians, investigators, students and the general public.

In 2023, the website has now been updated to www.iigann.com and details the ongoing research work of the IgA Nephropathy Network and the Biennial Scientific Symposia the Network organises. There are also links to ongoing clinical trials in IgA nephropathy and to our partner patient organisation the IgA Nephropathy Foundation.

IIgANN is a network of friends, colleagues and collaborators, so please, get in touch if you would like to hear more about our work and contribute to our research programs.

Help us make the International IgA Nephropathy Network alive and active and we invite you to join the International IgA Nephropathy Network.

The IgANN Steering Committee

THE INTERNATIONAL IgA NEPHROPATHY NETWORK (A Company Limited by Guarantee)

Trustees
Professor J Barratt
Professor R Monteiro
Professor Y Suzuki

Company registered number (UK)
05105027

Charity registered number (UK)
1117866

Registered office
124 Finchley Road
London
NW3 5JS

Company secretary
Professor J Barratt

Accountants
NymanLibson Paul LLP
Chartered Accountants
124 Finchley Road
London
NW3 5JS