Basic and Translational Research

Research activities in the Division of Nephrology truly range from bench to bedside.  Bench research is conducted not only in the laboratories of our own Division but also in collaboration with other laboratories at Stanford University. A major strength of research at Stanford is easy access to collaboration and translational research.  Over the past decade, the Division’s trainees have worked with faculty members from Genetics, Pediatrics, Immunology, Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Radiology, Biostatistics, and Chemical Engineering.

Labs

Bhalla Lab

Vivek Bhalla, MD focuses on mechanisms of hypertension and kidney disease in health and diabetes.  He uses transgenic mice and molecular biology approaches to study (1) Esm-1 in diabetes and diabetic kidney disease and the regulation of Esm-1 transcription and protein stability, (2) mechanisms of hypertension in the setting of obesity and insulin resistance, (3) the role of obesity and insulin in potassium transport in the cortical collecting duct, (4) glomerular endothelial cell-enriched genes and their implications for the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy, and (5) consequences of diuretic therapy using tubular morphometry and single cell approaches. Learn more about Dr. Bhalla's research by visiting the Bhalla Laboratory Website.

Maltzman Lab

Jonathan Maltzman, MD-PhD studies immune responses relevant to solid organ transplantation. He uses (1) genetically-modified mouse models to study mechanisms underlying immune tolerance and rejection, (2) tissues from human transplant recipients to study immune protection from latent viral infection and tolerance and (3) immune responses to COVID19 in transplant recipients.


Meyer Lab

Timothy Meyer,  MD works on identifying the toxic solutes which cause uremic illness when they accumulate in patients with end stage renal failure and on improving the treatment of these patients. Current projects include efforts to speed the removal of toxic solutes by dialysis and to limit their production by manipulation of the colon microbiome.

Pao Lab

Alan Pao, MD studies the pathophysiology and prevention/treatment of kidney stones. His laboratory uses medicinal chemistry, kidney cell culture, transgenic mice, and human plasma/urine samples to identify determinants that increase or decrease kidney stone risk. Current projects include the following: 1) the role of the gut microbiome in regulating urine oxalate excretion; 2) the development of novel small molecule compounds that can be applied to decrease stone recurrence; and 3) the implementation of effective dietary and medical therapies to reduce stone recurrence.


Sirich Lab

Tammy Sirich, uses mass spectrometry to evaluate the contribution of uremic solutes to outcomes of patients with kidney disease.  She conducts clinical trials testing dialytic and non-dialytic means to reduce the burden of uremic solutes and improve outcomes of dialysis patients.