Dr. Karam Aboudehen, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine
Dr. Aboudehen’s research interest is to identify therapeutically targetable long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that prevent or mitigate cyst formation and/or progression in polycystic kidney disease (PKD). He discovered that lncRNA Hoxb3as is directly implicated in PKD pathogenesis, representing the first report to identify a lncRNA directly involved in cyst progression.
Dr. Shipra Agrawal, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine
Dr. Agrawal’s research focus is to identify and understand the molecular mechanisms and pathways in podocytes and neighboring cells that can be targeted to develop novel therapies for glomerular disease and CKD. The additional translational focus is to correlate the basic research findings in patients, and to identify biomarkers for glomerular disease diagnosis and prognosis. Her studies include the role of nuclear receptors in podocytopathies, and RNA biology and processing (splicing and polyadenylation) in glomerular pathophysiology.
Dr. Partha Biswas, PhD
Depaartment of Microbiology and Immunology
Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Dr. Biswas’ research focuses on renal immunology in chronic and end-stage kidney disease. This includes both the contribution of inflammation in driving chronic kidney disease, and the mechanisms by which the immune system is compromised in patients with chronic and end-stage kidney disease.
Dr. Siu Chiu Chan, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine
Dr. Chan’s research interest is focused on the study of HNF1b nephropathy, in which human HNF1b mutations lead to congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT), autosomal dominant tubulointerstitial kidney disease (ADTKD), and cystic kidney disease. He also investigates the significance of aberrant transcriptional mechanisms associated with PKD initiation and progression, to develop targeted therapy to treat cystic kidney disease.
Dr. Chelsea C. Estrada, DO, MS
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine
Dr. Estrada’s research focus is investigating how endothelial cells in the kidney contribute to glomerular injury and repair. This includes studying the heterogeneity of different subpopulations of endothelial cells in the kidney (peritubular capillary, glomerular, etc), their unique characteristics, and their contribution towards the propagation of kidney injury.
Dr. Susan Hedayati MD
Professor of Medicine
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, and Vice Dean for Research
Dr. Hedayati’s research focuses on cardiovascular biomarkers and outcomes in patients with AKI and CKD in the settings of cardiorenal syndrome and COVID-19. She also investigates the efficacy and tolerability of treatments for Major Depressive Disorder in patients with CKD to improve patient-centered outcomes and discover mechanisms by which depression leads to excess mortality and cardiovascular events in this patient population.
Dr. Peter Igarashi, MD
Professor of Medicine
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension and Dean, Renaissance School of Medicine
Dr. Igarashi is a nationally recognized nephrology physician-scientist and medical-education innovator with ~40 years of research experience encompassing renal physiology, development, PKD, and gene regulation. Dr Igarashi has made many seminal contributions to the understanding of developmental disorders of the kidney and urinary tract, and genetic, cellular and molecular mechanisms of cyst formation and primary cilial function, and his lab continues to focus on these studies.
Dr. Farrukh M. Koraishy, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine
Dr. Koraishy’s research focus is on clinical data science utilizing bioinformatics and machine learning to unravel the associations between COVID-19 and AKI, as well as elucidating associations of mental health with kidney disease in World Trade Center responders.
Dr. Sandeep K. Mallipattu, MD
Professor of Medicine
Chief, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine
Dr. Mallipattu’s research is focused on the transcriptional and molecular mechanisms mediating the development and progression of kidney diseases. He has made seminal discoveries regarding the role of KLF transcription factors in normal kidney physiology, and in podocyte, endothelial, tubular and fibroblast cells, in AKI, glomerular disease, and fibrosis, utilizing cell biology, in vivo, and therapeutic approaches.
Dr. Sian E. Piret, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine
Dr. Piret’s research focuses on proximal tubule (PT) injury and cellular metabolism in AKI, and the transition to fibrosis, including transcriptional control and consequences of dysregulated branched chain amino acid (BCAA) catabolism and fatty acid oxidation. She is also investigating other PT cellular pathways such as mTORC1 signaling and DNA damage repair.
