Endstage renal disease (ESRD) or kidney failure affects over 500,000 persons in the United States and disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minority populations. Compared to whites, African Americans are 2-4 times more likely to develop ESRD, and represent 32% of the ESRD population, while only representing 13% of the US population. Two independent variants of the Apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) gene, G1 and G2, have been associated with a 7 to 10-fold greater risk of developing non-diabetic ESRD in African Americans.