Mayo Clinic Jun 16 2026 Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a previously unrecognized way the kidneys regulate water balance - an advance that could lead to improved treatments for polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and other disorders. The study, led by Fouad Chebib, M.D., a nephrologist at Mayo Clinic, is published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation . The findings build on decades of scientific understanding by revealing an additional pathway the kidney uses to control water balance.