Biography
Kumar Sharma is the Director of Translational Research in Kidney Disease and a Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Sharma is a leading translational researcher whose major area of interest is diabetic complications and kidney disease. His studies have identified several key mediators of early and progressive kidney disease associated with diabetes and obesity. His landmark studies demonstrating the role of the growth factor, TGF-b, have led to the development of clinical applications using approaches to block TGF-b for human diabetic nephropathy. In addition, Dr. Sharma has been involved in his own anti-fibrotic approaches for patients with advanced diabetic nephropathy and recently completed an NIH-funded randomized clinical trial. Most recently, Dr. Sharma’s group has identified a key role for the hormone adiponectin to play a role in early proteinuria associated with obesity. His studies have been published in the JCI, PNAS, JBC, PlOS-Medicine, JCB, AJP-Renal, JASN and Kidney International. Dr. Sharma has recently joined UCSD to lead translational research in kidney disease. He was recently appointed as Chair of the ISN Nexus Symposiums. He has continuous NIH funding since 1996 and presently has several NIH grants, ADA and JDRF support for his research.
Research Interest
Nephrology
Biography
Anil Mandal is a native of India and a naturalized citizen of the United States of America. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Nephrology (Kidney disease and hypertension). Sugar diabetes is the most common cause of kidney failure in the USA and world wide. This strong association between diabetes and kidney failure has inspired Dr Mandal to develop the frame work of Mandal Diabetes Research foundation to assist diabetic patients to live a good life with medical treatment, and not go to dialysis. Sugar diabetes is the most common cause of kidney failure in the USA and world wide. This strong association between diabetes and kidney failure has inspired Dr Mandal to develop the frame work of Mandal Diabetes Research foundation to assist diabetic patients to live a good life with medical treatment, and not go to dialysis.
Research Interest
Pediatrics and nephrology
Biography
Grande Joseph has worked as a renal pathologist at the Mayo Clinic for more than 20 years. His PhD work in pathology from the University of Chicago\'s Medical Scientist Training Program focused on the effects of hyperlipidemia and mechanical force on collagen production by aortic smooth muscle cells. After receiving post-doctoral training in pathology at the University of Michigan in 1991, he established an NIH-funded experimental renal research program at Mayo. Dr. Grande\'s research interests have focused on signaling mechanisms leading to chronic renal disease, with emphasis on inflammation, TGF-beta signaling, and a role of phosphodiesterase inhibitors in abrogating this process. He has collaborated with clinical nephrologists in basic, translational, and clinical studies related to a potential role of fish oil in preventing chronic renal disease, IgA nephropathy in particular. He has served as the study pathologist for DeKAF, an NIH-funded study to define histopathologic features of chronic renal allograft dysfunction. For this project, a number of quantitative histopathologic approaches to assess chronic renal disease, inflammation, and innate immune system activation were developed. More recently, his work has focused on critical signaling pathways responsible for chronic renal injury in renovascular hypertension.
Research Interest
Nephrology