Research Faculty

• Patricia Preisig, Ph.D.; Professor of Internal Medicine and Cellular and Molecular Physiology.
• Daniel Biemesderfer, Ph.D.; Assistant Professor of Medicine.
• Jianchao Xu, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine.
• Heino Velàzquez, Ph.D.; Research Scientist, Internal Medicine. Lecturer, Cellular and Molecular Physiology.
• Ali Hariri, M.D.; Associate Research Scientist.
• Hatim Hassan, M.D.; Associate Research Scientist.
• R. Brent Thomson, Ph.D.; Associate Research Scientist.

Using state-of-the-art physiological, cellular, and molecular biological methods, the research faculty of the Section of Nephrology investigate a wide spectrum of nephrological questions. Several of these faculty are recent graduates of our own fellowship training program who have received five-year extramural grants that permit in-depth analysis of complex biological problems. Dr. Biemesderfer uses immunohistochemical methods and electron microscopy to study the cell biology of plasma membrane Na/H exchangers in epithelia. Dr. Thomson studies a kidney-specific cadherin. Dr. Velàzquez is investigating the cellular mechanisms of thiazide-sensitive sodium chloride transport and chloride-dependent potassium secretion by the mammalian distal tubule using in vivo and in vitro microperfusion and tissue culture techniques.

Representative publications:

Biemesderfer, D., Pizzonia, J., Abu-Alfa, A., Exner, M., Reilly, R.F., Igarashi, P. and Aronson, P.S. (1993) NHE3: a Na/H exchanger isoform of renal brush border. Am. J. Physiol. 265:F736-F742

Thomson, R.B., Igarashi, P., Biemesderfer, D., Kim, R., Abu-Alfa, A., Soleimani, M. and Aronson, P.S. (1995) Isolation and cDNA cloning of Ksp-cadherin, a novel kidney-specific member of the cadherin multigene family. J. Biol. Chem. 270:17594-17601

Velàzquez, H., Nàray-Fejes-Toth, A., Silva, T., AndTjar, E., Reilly, R.F., Desir, G., Ellison, D.H. The distal convoluted tubule of the rabbit coexpresses NaCl cotransporter and 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase II mRNA. Kidney Int. 54: 464-472, 1998.