November 2022

NEPHROLOGY

NORTHWESTERN MEDICINE NEPHROLOGISTS AWARDED NEW R01 GRANTS

Endothelial PHD2/HIF Axis in Ischemic Kidney Injury and Inflammation
 
Pinelopi Kapitsinou, MD​, and her lab recently discovered a non-canonical role for HIF signaling on tryptophan metabolism, a pathway that generates several bioactive metabolites with profound protective effects on tissues. Among them, kynurenine and kynurenic acid have emerged as metabolites that exert cytoprotective and anti-inflammatory actions. However, their role in acute kidney injury remains unclear. The objective of their new grant is to understand how HIF-2-induced changes in tryptophan metabolism affect postischemic renal injury and repair.
 
Macrophages and Attenuation of Inflammation Resolution in APOL1 Nephropathy
 
Jennie J. Lin, MD​,​, is leading a project that will study the role of the macrophage in APOL1-mediated kidney disease. In human cellular studies, she delineates how APOL1 risk variants promote macrophage inflammation from ER stress. Dr. Lin also investigates in vivo how macrophage ER stress enhanced by APOL1 risk variants modulate proteinuric kidney injury. Her project will generate crucial data for understanding the molecular underpinnings of how macrophages contribute to APOL1-mediated kidney disease and identify potential novel therapeutic strategies to prevent and treat this disease.
Pinelopi Kapitsinou, MD​, Associate Professor of Medicine (Nephrology and Hypertension)
Jennie J. Lin, MD​, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Nephrology and Hypertension)

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