Fibrosis is the final stage of all chronic kidney diseases (CKD). As scarred tissue replaces normal kidney parenchyma, kidney function progressively declines, culminating in kidney failure. The search for novel therapeutics that can prevent or reverse kidney fibrosis is ongoing. Breakthroughs from basic science research have identified key mechanisms and implicated associated cells and signaling pathways.1 From this research, transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) has emerged as a key regulator of kidney fibrosis.