Renal Fibrosis
Our goal is to study how the induction of matricellular proteins regulates the initiation and progression of renal repair and whether the genetic or pharmacological modulation of these proteins can reduce renal fibrosis. The specific goals of our laboratory are to:
- Determine which expression levels of which matricellular proteins have 1) a significant in-vivo influence under fibrotic conditions compared to normal conditions and 2) an in-vitro effect on fibroblasts treated with TGF-β and on renal epithelial cells.
- Analyze the role of matricellular proteins on cell-ECM interactions using renal fibroblasts and tubular epithelial cells.
- Study the therapeutic implications of targeting matricellular proteins and their downstream pathways.