Research overview
The kidneys are remarkable organs which clean blood, control blood pressure, balance levels of fluid and salt in the body and help to maintain healthy bones.
Over 3 million people in the UK experience chronic kidney disease (CKD); a disease with few effective treatments. There are lots of unanswered questions about how the kidney develops, works and goes wrong in disease.
Our research group uses cell culture, organoids, animal models and patient samples to understand the biology of the kidney, to determine what goes wrong in disease and to identify new treatments for CKD in children and adults.
Our research interests can be broadly categorised into the three areas detailed below; each subdivided into a number of projects
Normal and abnormal development
Disease mechanisms and therapies
Clinical and translational studies
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of normal kidney development
Using, genetic engineering we are trying to figure out how cells, such as lymphatics and immune cells, or molecules, such as vascular growth factors, help the kidney to grow during embryonic development
Developing better animal and cell culture models of kidney disease
We are developing and refining animal models and cell culture techniques to better recreate kidney diseases such as diabetic nephropathy and nephrotic syndrome
Clinical and translational studies
Mineral imbalances and their consequences in paediatric kidney disease
Using imaging and blood, urine or DNA from patients, we try to understand and prevent complications of kidney disease in childhood, including bone loss and vascular calcification
