Oxidative Stress & Signaling

Since over two decades, the Division research efforts have focused on reactive oxygen species (ROS) biochemistry with emphasis on the role of the oxidant-generating Nox/Duox family  of NADPH oxidases in the pathogenesis of kidney and cardiovascular diseases. Significant and seminal contributions in identifying Nox family member Nox4 (NADPH oxidase 4) as a source of ROS in mitochondria and as a central mediator of diabetic complications in the kidney has been made using both in vitro cellular models and rodent models of diabetes the division also has a strong background in the investigation of redox pathways and redox mechanisms underlying renal cell injury in pathological environment.

Current work includes the characterization of upstream regulators and downstream effectors of Nox/Duox enzymes as well as the role of mRNA binding proteins, translation and metabolic derangements in diabetes–and obesity-mediated kidney cell injury. The division is actively involved in preclinical studies testing the bioefficacy of new antioxidant molecules, including Nox or RNA-binding protein-small molecule inhibitors to prevent or reduce the manifestations of diabetic kidney disease and obesity-mediated using samples from type 1, type 2 diabetic and obese patients with kidney disease to validate that the molecules described above can be used as biological markers in order to facilitate the design of more advanced approaches to diagnose and treat diabetic kidney disease and obesity-induced nephropathy.