Bone marrow transplantation rescues Alport mice.

In the 9 May 2006 issue of Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, Sugimotoand colleagues 1] described fascinating data on a potentialapproach to treat Alport's syndrome, a rare genetic diseaseleading to renal failure, which so far could not be cured. Thework was highly publicized and discussed in both scientificjournals and the lay press. Alport's syndrome derives from a mutation of either the 3, 4or 5 chain of type IV collagen, i.e. collagen types that constitutebasement membranes in the renal glomerulus, the ear and theeye. Mice