kidney

Cell skeleton and the brush border

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered a role for microtubules — part of the cellular “skeleton” — in organizing the unique sidedness of the epithelial cells that line organs like the intestines.

Motoring to the tips of the brush border

New findings implicate a motor protein in the assembly of the brush border in the intestines and kidneys – a specialized surface that is critical for healthy organ function.

Immune system a must for kidney repair

A signaling protein that is essential for recovery from acute kidney injury works by increasing the population of tissue-repairing immune cells.

VUMC receives NIH grant to develop artificial kidney

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a four-year, $6 million grant to investigators at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) to develop an implantable artificial kidney.

By Paul Govern

April 16, 2015

Surprising finding in the kidney

TGF-beta signaling in the kidney was thought to be a target for reducing renal fibrosis, but Vanderbilt researchers report that fibrosis still occurs in the absence of TGF-beta signaling.