>Current Research at Vanderbilt

The Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease  is the only top-ranked nephrology program in Tennessee and is among the top 10 programs in the country. The nephrologists at Vanderbilt are skilled at diagnosing and treating a wide variety of kidney function abnormalities including electrolyte imbalance, high blood pressure, and chronic kidney disease. They conduct multi-center clinical trials in the areas of kidney disease, hypertension, and diabetes. (Click here for a current list of clinical trials). The Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease also supports cutting edge basic and translational research into the causes, treatments, and cures for kidney disease (Click here to learn more about their academic and research programs).

Mark deCaestecker, M.B.B.S., Ph.D.

Dr. deCaestecker’s research is focused on the mechanisms regulating kidney development and how these processes are abnormally regulated in kidney cancer and kidney injury. His lab is also interested in how these developmentally regulated pathways can become reactivated in regenerating tissues after acute kidney injury.

 

Volker H Haase, M.D.

Dr. Haase’s lab studies oxygen metabolism. Enzymes that control hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-mediated responses provide excellent drug targets for the treatment of renal anemia, and there are several compounds that are currently in clinical trials. The Haase research group generated the first mouse model for von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL), which reproduces clinical manifestations seen in the disease, such as renal cysts, hemangiomas, and polycythemia. The research done in the Haase lab is focused on understanding the molecular and cellular basis of hypoxia responses in the adult kidney and in kidney development.

 

William Henry Fissell, M.D.

Dr. Fissell is interested in analyzing and improving the therapeutic strategy for acute kidney injury. His lab is also focused on developing technology to provide better treatment for end-stage renal disease. He is a co-leader for The Kidney Project, a long-term effort to engineer an artificial, implantable kidney to improve the lives of patients with kidney failure.