Paul A. Voziyan, Ph.D.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most frequent and severe complications of diabetes, leading to a gradual loss of kidney filtration function and to the end stage renal disease.  Diabetic nephropathy is thought to be a multifactorial disease but the exact pathogenic mechanism(s) are unknown.  Our research is focused on glucose-induced chemical modifications of collagen IV, laminins, and other renal extracellular matrix components and their role in triggering the disease. These chemical modifications interfere with matrix assembly, integrin-dependent cell-matrix interactions, and matrix turnover. We employ DN mouse models and modern technologies such as mass-spectrometry and NMR metabolomics to determine pathogenic molecular changes in the renal matrix.   Understanding pathogenic consequences of modifications of renal matrix proteins in diabetes provides us with guidelines for development of novel therapeutic treatments for DN.