Patricio Ray, MD
People living with HIV carrying any combination of two APOL1 risk alleles (RA), genetic variants known as G1 and G2, are at high risk of developing HIV-chronic kidney diseases (HIV-CKD), even when treated with antiretroviral therapy. A critical gap in knowledge that remains to be understood, is how APOL1-G1, the most common RA detected in people with HIV-nephropathy living in the U.S, including children and adolescents, interact with HIV-genes to precipitate HIV-CKD.
In a study funded by a new $4 million grant from the NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney diseases, Patricio Ray, MD, a research professor in the UVA Department of Pediatrics, and his collaborator Zhe Han, MD, at the University of Maryland, will research basic mechanisms involved in HIV-APOL1-G1-associated chronic kidney diseases. Through their studies, the researchers will generate new experimental model systems to study the pathogenesis of HIV-CKD, perform high throughput genetic screenings in the lab to identify new therapeutic targets, as well as drugs to treat HIV-CKD.
Filed Under: Research