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.  

Kidney Disease

Timothy Meyer, MD focuses his research on elucidating the cellular and pathophysiologic mechanisms responsible for the progression of kidney disease.  He also studies the removal of various potentially toxic solutes by dialysis, with a view toward improving the health of dialysis patients.  Bryan Myers, MD is widely-recognized for his work on the pathophysiology of glomerular injury.  He has applied morphometric techniques with mathematical modeling to delineate the intrinsic properties of glomerular capillary walls in various states of injury.

In collaboration with Jane Tan, MD, he has also begun to study the pathophysiology underlying renal senescence, with particular attention to the effects of this process on the use of older donor kidneys in transplantation.  In his laboratory, Ralph Rabkin, MD examines the mechanisms of inflammation-induced growth hormone resistance and the roles of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor on skeletal muscle function in uremia.  Vivek Bhalla, MD and Alan Pao, MD were recently recruited. 

The laboratory of Vivek Bhalla, MD will focus on intracellular signaling mechanisms which underly transepithelial sodium transport.  He will also establish a research program investigating the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy.  The laboratory of Alan Pao, MD investigates the regulation of ion transport in the setting of insulin resistance.  He will also explore the molecular mechanisms behind the activation of catalytic activity in the AGC family of protein kinases.

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.