Expertise
Using a basic science and translational research approach, my laboratory is focused on elucidating and understanding the molecular mechanisms that contribute to the development of proteinuria in kidney disease with a focus on focal segmental glomerulorsclerosis (FSGS) and diabetic kidney disease (DKD):
- Kidney disease
- Mouse models
- Podocyte injury
- Diabetic kidney disease
- Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis
- Cell signaling
- Cholesterol
- Lipids
- Sphingolipids
- TNF alpha
- ABCA1
- SMPDL3b
Her research focuses on elucidating and understanding the molecular mechanisms that contribute to the development of proteinuria with a special emphasis on focal segmental glomerulorsclerosis (FSGS) and diabetic kidney disease (DKD).
One area of our research focuses on investigating a novel mechanism by which rituximab, an antibody that has been developed to target B-lymphocytes for the cure of lymphoma, may directly protect podocytes in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). In this study, we are determining if rituximab treatment administered to high-risk patients at time of transplantation protects from recurrent FSGS.
We are investigating the mechanisms leading to decreased expression of ABCA1, cholesterol accumulation, podocyte malfunction, proteinuria and DKD progression using a combination of in vitro and in vivo approaches.