Pediatrics/Pediatric Nephrology
Summary of Research
I am studying the interface of immunology and glomerular disease as manifest by immune mediated glomerulonephritis (GN). With the bias that glomerular cells may be considered components of the innate immune system, I am using mouse models of progressive lupus-like GN to dissect the early stages of renal immunopathogenesis. The project includes “clinical profiling” of blood and urine samples from these lupus animals to establish the natural history and rates of progression of autoimmune renal insufficiency. Histologic and molecular approaches are employed to identify the cell types and immunomodulators (e.g. chemokines and cytokines) that initiate kidney damage. In additionally, a genetic mapping of project is underway to identify modifiers of lupus-like disease. Long range ramifications of this research might include discovery of clinically relevant biomarkers (genetic and biochemical) for both prognostication and for evaluation of novel therapeutic agents. Furthermore, lessons learned from progressive autoimmune GN might extrapolate to transplant medicine where the risk/benefit ratio of current immunosuppression protocols would be substantially enhanced by immunomodulatory therapies targeted specifically to the renal immune system.
Contact Information
Phone: 617-724-2896
Fax: 617-724-3248
E-mail: epaul@partners.org
