Professor Liz Lightstone

Professor Liz Lightstone is professor of renal medicine at Imperial College London and honorary consultant nephrologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Internationally recognised as a leading authority in glomerulonephritis, she has made transformative contributions to the understanding and management of lupus nephritis.

Her clinical and translational research has pioneered steroid-sparing and steroid-avoidance strategies, notably through the landmark RITUXILup and RITUXIRescue regimens, which influenced practice and trial design worldwide. She has served as national or global investigator on multiple lupus nephritis studies, chaired data monitoring committees for major Phase III trials, and advanced biomarker-driven approaches to personalised treatment. She continues to shape best practice through her contributions to national and international guidelines.

Beyond lupus nephritis, Professor Lightstone has strengthened the field of glomerular disease research as co-chair of the SONG-GD initiative, defining patient-centred outcomes, and as co-chair of the UKKRC Glomerulonephritis Clinical Study Group, which developed the NIHR-funded TURING trial. She also serves on the Steering Committee of the International Society of Glomerular Disease (ISGD), where she co-leads initiatives to establish Glomerular Centres of Excellence.

A pioneer in obstetric nephrology, she founded one of the UK’s first obstetric renal services and co-authored the first guideline on pregnancy and CKD. She continues to lead international training in this area, with a strong commitment to addressing health inequalities and improving care for women with kidney disease.

Elected president-elect of the International Society of Nephrology (2025–2027), Professor Lightstone brings together academic leadership, clinical innovation, and global advocacy, shaping the future of glomerulonephritis care worldwide.

Key research interests:

Improving outcomes in lupus nephritis

1. Chief investigator of international, multicentre, randomised controlled trial, the Rituxilup trial, which is the first trial ever to evaluate avoiding oral steroids in the treatment of this challenging disease. Based on pilot work in 50 patients at Hammersmith Hospital (Condon M et al 2013, Ann Rheum Dis). Trial funded by Arthritis Research UK and Roche providing rituximab for free globally. Pubmed  
2. Co-investigator on Masterplans Consortium. Funded by the MRC and Imperial College London is the lead for identifying novel biomarkers to predict renal disease outcomes.
3. Co-organiser of local lupus patient days.

National/international roles in improving outcomes in lupus nephritis:

1. Co-chair, UKKRC Glomerulonephritis Clinical Study Group
2. Co-author of Eular guidelines on management of patients with lupus nephritis - see pubmed/22851469 and pubmed/25920920
3. On EU executive committee of Global Lupus Nephritis Trials Network
4. Only nephrologist on global working group developing a glucocorticoid toxicity index (GTI) - see pubmed/27474764

Renal disease in pregnancy research focus: improving outcomes of pregnancies in women with kidney disease:

1. PEACHES and PAIRS studies - aiming to identify biomarkers of pre-eclampsia and acute kidney injury in pregnant women with kidney disease eg pubmed/26924064
2. Evaluating therapies for women with immune mediated kidney disease who are pregnant - see pubmed/24928830 and pubmed/23349333
3. Founding national coordinator and now active member of the Renal Disease and Pregnancy Rare Disease Group which is aiming to capture data on the pregnancies of all women with CKD stages 1-5 in the UK. See Pregnancy and Chronic Kidney Disease – RDG on RareRenal.org 

National/international roles in renal disease in pregnancy research:

1. Co-opted renal specialist on the NICE guideline committee on intrapartum care for high-risk women with medical conditions
2. Member, Renal Association Rare Disease Registry Operational Management Board and Rare Disease Committee.

Long standing interest in chronic kidney disease in ethnic communities - established link with higher rates of end-stage kidney disease in people from the Indian Asian community. Professor Lightstone has been involved in a prospective study (the Lolipop study) and some years ago helped shape the focus on this area by Kidney Research UK which continues today.