Preserving kidney health in diabetic patients poses challenges due to the complications that develop over time. Dr. Sandeep Mallipattu, a professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at Stony Brook University’s Renaissance School of Medicine, is studying cell-to-cell communication within the kidneys. This process is crucial for maintaining kidney health and function.
Mallipattu’s research has received a $2.76 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. This funding will support his work through February 2029.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, around one-third of patients with Type 1 diabetes and between 10 to 40 percent of those with Type 2 diabetes will eventually face kidney failure.
“The major cause of kidney disease in the United States is diabetes, therefore understanding mechanisms of how diabetes can cause kidney disease are critical to identifying novel therapeutics to reverse disease,” Mallipattu stated.
The grant will allow Mallipattu to explore how cell-to-cell communication in the kidney functions and its importance in diabetes. He and his team are examining a new signaling cascade between two major kidney cell types to assess its role in preserving kidney health and potentially preventing diabetic kidney disease (DKD).
The study focuses on podocytes, which form a filtration barrier in the kidney, and proximal tubule cells, essential for metabolic activity and electrolyte management. Mallipattu explains that while podocyte loss and glomerular injury initiate DKD, the severity of proximal tubular injury is crucial for its progression to end-stage kidney disease.
“We postulate that the podocytes can signal the proximal tubule to precondition it against injury and slow the progression of DKD in the setting of diabetes,” Mallipattu elaborated.
Mallipattu’s team aims to validate the hypothesis regarding the signaling cascade between these cell types. This research builds on previously published work in Nature Communications and ongoing studies by Dr. Mallipattu and his team that may ascertain whether a specific gene can stop DKD.
Additional information on Mallipattu’s kidney disease research is available on the Mallipattu Lab website.
