Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication found in hospitals and the third leading cause of death among trauma patients. While there exists a wide variety of causes for AKI, they can be attributed to few pathophysiologies that studies are exploring medications to target. In conjunction with improving treatments, however, there is also a need to improve AKI diagnosis to prevent late-stage complications. This review will explore developments of new diagnostic biomarkers and medications that address these concerns.