Work in my laboratory is aimed towards the understanding of renal fibrosis and chronic kidney disease development. We are performing translational (hypothesis generating) and mechanistic studies. The aim of our translational research work is identify novel, genetic, genomic and epigenomic biomarkers of chronic renal disease. We hypothesize that integrative analysis of epigenetic and genetic settings in diseased cells can provide a rational basis for more accurately modeling the critical biological pathways involved in mediating the progressive phenotype in individual patients. We use genetic approaches and mice as a model organism to test the role of candidate signaling molecules directly in vivo. Specifically, we are working on determining the role of the Notch and Wnt/beta-catenin pathway in chronic kidney disease development, renal epithelial cell homeostasis, renal stem or progenitor cell function and differentiation. Our recent results highlight the role of embryonic programs in adult disease development.

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine (Primary) Ben Z. Stanger, MD, PhD is the representative at this institution.