Launched in 2002, this FASEB Science Research Conference (SRC) focuses on the inherited renal cystic diseases including the autosomal dominant (ADPKD) and recessive (ARPKD) forms of polycystic kidney disease (PKD), the overlapping autosomal dominant polycystic liver diseases (ADPLD), and many syndromic forms of PKD, such as ciliopathies.

Identification of genes mutated in many of these disorders has improved the understanding of their pathophysiology, made the development of orthologous animal models possible, and facilitated the identification of therapeutic targets and the implementation of preclinical and clinical trials.