Monash Centre for Inflammatory Diseases
Research - Glomerulonephritis
Glomerulonephritis (GN) is a common cause of end stage renal failure. In our bid to identify potential therapeutic targets, the overall aim of our group’s research is to further our understanding of:
- Key events in the generation of nephritogenic immune responses
- Autoimmunity as it pertains to the kidney
- Effector responses in the kidney
GN is not a single disease, but results from damage to the glomerular microcirculation from injurious immune responses to endogenous and foreign antigens in glomeruli. Crescentic GN, a major focus of our research, is named because of the characteristic accumulation of cells (resulting from severe leukocyte mediated glomerular inflammation) in the shape of a crescent. This characterises the most severe forms of GN, which also have the worst health outcomes. Several different diseases cause crescentic GN, the most common being small vessel vasculitis resulting from autoimmunity to neutrophil granules including myeloperoxidase.
Collaborating with our research partners, we are testing hypotheses relating to the following areas of how immune responses induce renal injury:
- The signals that result in the resultant strength and direction of the immune response, especially T-cell polarisation (including Th1/Th2 and Th17)
- The mechanisms by which effectors, particularly leucocytes, are recruited to glomeruli, including the interactions between the kidney and the immune system in these processes
Newer research areas being explored include:
- The role of renal dendritic cells in immune renal injury
- The nature of the loss of tolerance to a3(IV)NC1 (the antigen responsible for Goodpasture's disease and to myeloperoxidase
Unit Personnel
Professor Stephen Holdsworth - Director of Centre and Head of Research Unit
Associate Professor Richard Kitching - Deputy Director of Centre
Dr Paul King - Post Doctoral Fellow
Dr Dragana Odobasic - Post Doctoral Fellow
Dr Oliver Steinmetz - Visiting Research Fellow
Dr Yuji Nozaki - Visiting Research Fellow
Dr Shaun Summers - PhD Student
Ms Poh Yi Gan - PhD Student
Ms Diana Tan - PhD Student
Mr Josh Ooi - PhD Student
Dr Josh Kausman - PhD Student
Dr Richard Phoon - PhD Student
Ms Kim O'Sullivan - Research Assistant
Ms Cecilia Lo - Research Assistant
Mr Tim Semple - Research Assistant
Ms Alice Wright - Research Assistant
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