Before Remuzzi's discovery of ACE inhibitors to treat Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), kidney failure and lifelong dependence on dialysis were inevitable for many patients. In the early 1980s, Remuzzi began investigating the root causes of kidney disease and kidney failure. He noticed declining glomerular filtration rate (GFR), a measure of the kidney's ability to cleanse the blood, as a major indicator, and realized: stopping the decline in GFR would stop CKD in its tracks.