A University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) spinout, Reliant Glycosciences, is working to improve care for patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN), a condition that damages the kidneys over time and frequently leads to kidney failure.
Reliant Glycosciences LLC sprang out of the work of Jan Novak, Ph.D., UAB Distinguished Professor in the Department of Microbiology. He, along with colleagues, identified disease-specific autoantibodies in the blood of patients with IgAN that bind to galactose-deficient IgA1, a variant form of IgA. This process creates circulating immune complexes, some of which accumulate in the kidneys and drive inflammation. IgAN is often difficult to monitor, and progression may go undetected until there is significant permanent damage. A prototype assay developed in Dr. Novak’s lab showed that higher serum levels of galactose-deficient IgA1 associated with a greater risk for loss of kidney function.
Reliant Glycosciences, founded in 2015, is focused on developing and validating reagents for a standardized test to measure serum levels of galactose-deficient IgA1. 
Reliant Glycosciences logo.
“Right now, clinicians rely on routine measures of kidney function and proteinuria, which are essentially lagging indicators,” said Matt Renfrow, Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics and one of the founders of Reliant Glycosciences. “By the time you see changes in those tests, significant damage has already occurred. So, a reliable measurement of serum levels of galactose-deficient IgA1 will enable medical-care providers and patients to much better monitor the status of the disease.”
The company has successfully developed reliable reagents for an assay, called the GalD™ Assay, to measure serum levels of galactose-deficient IgA1. Reliant partnered with the Cincinnati Children’s Nephrology Diagnostic Clinical Laboratory to provide reagents for a laboratory-developed test (LDT) for measurement of galactose-deficient IgA1 as a validation study. The assay will support research and, eventually, patient care. A reliable measurement provides the potential for researchers and clinicians to have trustworthy data to support patient classification and treatment monitoring in the context of ongoing studies.
Reliant Glycosciences is in an active research phase, collaborating with key opinion leaders and pharmaceutical companies. Recent data from a multi-center longitudinal study conducted in collaboration with the NIH-sponsored Cure Glomerulonephropathy Network (CureGN) demonstrated that increases in serum levels of galactose-deficient IgA1, measured by the GalDTM Assay, were associated with a higher risk of kidney failure over time. These findings support the potential for the serum level of galactose-deficient IgA1 to serve as a prognostic biomarker in patients with IgAN. The company will present the data at a European conference in June 2026 and an expanded study at the annual American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week conference in October.
Beyond individual patient monitoring, the technology has broader application in research and clinical trials. A standardized assay allows for comparison across IgAN cohorts, supports longitudinal analysis of disease progression, and may inform research to define risk thresholds relevant to decisions such as prioritization of kidney biopsy or monitoring after kidney transplantation.
Looking ahead, Reliant Glycosciences anticipates that greater access to the assay will expand research addressing approaches for early detection of IgAN and provide clinicians with a better tool to monitor the course of the disease.
“In the next five years, success would be regulatory approval of the GalDTM Assay for clinical use,” Renfrow said.
To learn more about Reliant Glycosciences, visit the company’s website at https://reliantglycosciences.com/.
-- May 18, 2026