Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease

November 21, 2023

VUMC scientists discover key step to kidney fibrosis

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center for the first time have shown that activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is essential for the development of kidney fibrosis, tissue scarring following injury that can lead to kidney failure.

By Bill Snyder
January 19, 2023

Low potassium injures kidney

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that low dietary potassium causes direct kidney injury, suggesting potential new targets for treating chronic kidney disease.

By Leigh MacMillan
The study team included, from left, Raymond Harris, MD, J.P. Arroyo, MD, PhD, and Gautam Bhave, MD, PhD.
January 5, 2023

VUMC researchers upend dogma about vasopressin production

Vanderbilt investigators have discovered that vasopressin, which has long been thought to be produced only in the brain, is also produced in the kidney.

By Leigh MacMillan
August 25, 2022

Inflammatory driver of obesity

Blocking the EGF receptor signaling pathway in immune system macrophages represents a new target for improving insulin resistance in people with obesity.

By Sarah E. Glass
February 1, 2022

Accelerating podocyte production

A new method developed by Vanderbilt researchers to generate kidney cells from stem cells offers a faster and less expensive way to make these valuable tools for studying kidney diseases.

By Bill Snyder
January 13, 2022

The role of integrins in kidney “integrity”

Receptors called integrins play a critical role in maintaining the structure of the kidney, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.

By Bill Snyder
November 11, 2021

New way to bEET insulin resistance

Signaling molecules called EETs could improve insulin resistance, a primary risk factor for Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.
By Bill Snyder
August 5, 2021

Gene expression in diabetic nephropathy

Vanderbilt researchers are looking to mRNA populations in podocytes — kidney cells that help filter blood — to help identify potential targets for treating diabetic kidney disease.
By Shivani Sharma
June 4, 2020

Protecting the injured kidney

Leslie Gewin and colleagues have upended conventional dogma about Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in the kidney, finding that it protects against chronic kidney disease rather than promoting it.
By Leigh MacMillan
October 31, 2019

Acute kidney injury recovery time impacts future risk

Interventions that impact the timing of recovery following acute injury may improve future outcomes for patients.
By Danielle Kopke
July 25, 2019

Sex differences in kidney injury

Men are more susceptible to progressive kidney disease than women; new VUMC studies point to differences in the expression and activation of the EGF receptor.
By Kelsey Herbers
March 14, 2019

Reprogramming cells for kidney repair

Using gene transfer technologies to reprogram adult human kidney cells could lead to novel therapies for chronic kidney disease.
By Kelsey Herbers
November 12, 2015

Harris to lead American Society of Nephrology

Ray Harris, M.D., has been elected president of the American Society of Nephrology during the society’s annual meeting, ASN Kidney Week 2015, in San Diego.
By Kathy Whitney