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Jochen Reiser, M.D., PhD
2015 NephCure Awardee
Jochen Reiser, MD, PhD is the chairman of the Department of Medicine at Rush University Medical Center and the Ralph C. Brown, MD professor of Medicine at Rush University. Dr. Reiser is a world-renowned research leader in the field of kidney disease with a heavy focus on molecular biology and genetics. He has published more than 145 papers, many of them in highest impact journals. His contributions range from identification of circulating factor suPAR in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) as well as to general mechanisms of chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Chicago, Illinois
Rush University
Lay Summary of the Project:
Dr. Jochen Reiser and his colleague, Dr. Vineet Gupta, at Rush University developed a laboratory process that may lead to new candidates for drug development for Nephrotic Syndrome. The podocyte is a specialized cell in the filtering unit of the kidney that is damaged in diseases like FSGS. Using an innovative cell analyzer called ‘Opera’, Drs. Reiser and Gupta plan to put down layers of podocytes on a specialized cellular ‘platform.” Then, they will subject these cells to stimuli that may cause injury as seen in the kidneys of patients with FSGS. The objective of this experiment is to examine how podocytes behave under selective stimuli, resulting in scarring or cell death. If standardized changes can be demonstrated, then libraries of drug compounds, and specifically those that are known to interfere with these specific cellular and molecular changes, could be screened as possible targets for drug development.
