(From left) Maria Luisa S. Sequeira-Lopez, MD, and R. Ariel Gomez, MD
R. Ariel Gomez, MD, Harrison Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and director of the Department of Pediatrics’ Child Health Research Center, and Maria Luisa S. Sequeira-Lopez, MD, Harrison Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and Biology, have been awarded a four-year, $3.2 million NIH R01 grant to investigate a serious side effect of common blood pressure medications.
While certain hypertension drugs effectively lower blood pressure, long-term use can sometimes trigger concentric arterial and arteriolar hypertrophy — a “silent” thickening of the kidney’s blood vessels that leads to organ failure. The team discovered that certain kidney cells may be overproducing nerve growth factors, essentially “rewiring” the kidney into a diseased state. Using advanced 3D imaging and spatial transcriptomics, the team hopes to find new ways to manage hypertension without risking permanent kidney damage.
Additional research team members from the University of Virginia include Silvia Medrano, PhD, and Jason Smith, PhD, in the Department of Pediatrics, and Edward Nieh, PhD, in the Department of Pharmacology.
Filed Under: Research