(202d) Analyzing Transport Phenomena in the Kidney

Ever since my thesis work with Bill Deen, my research has focused on transport processes in the kidney. One current project centers on the renal handling of plasma proteins and the mechanisms underlying proteinuria, a marker of kidney damage. The presence of plasma proteins in urine may be due to impaired glomerular filtration, impaired proximal tubule reabsorption, or both. We recently extended the “Lazzara and Deen” model of protein reabsorption in the proximal tubule to humans, in order to investigate the differential impact of glomerular versus tubular dysfunction on urinary protein excretion. We are presently expanding this model to test new mechanistic hypotheses regarding the ability of the proximal tubule to recover very large amounts of albumin under specific pathological conditions.