  Kidney stone disease poses a major burden to patients and healthcare systems
around the world. The formation of kidney stones may occur over months or
years, but many patients are diagnosed at a late stage, suffer excruciating
pain, and require surgical intervention to physically remove the stones. The
prevalence of kidney stones has increased during recent decades to over 10% in
many developed countries, suggesting a link with environmental and behavioral
factors. Recurrence rates are also high. In terms of their impact and scale,
kidney stones are an ongoing pandemic. The causes and mechanisms of kidney
stone formation are diverse and often unknown, resulting in varied compositions
and different anatomical locations being affected. A better understanding of
these processes could enable earlier diagnoses through more sensitive and
scalable biomarkers, as well as more effective preventives and therapeutics.
