Reena Rao, PhD

Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor, Anatomy and Cell Biology
School of Medicine, Internal Medicine

Central Food Technological Research Institute, India - Ph.D.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center - Fellowship

Research Focus

Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) is a multifunctional serine/threonine protein kinase, which has been identified as a putative target for the treatment of disorders including diabetes, ischemic injury, inflammation, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and bipolar disorders. GSK3 occurs in two isoforms, α and β. Our primary interests are to elucidate the mechanisms by which GSK3 isoforms regulate renal water transport in the kidneys and their role in survival and proliferation of renal tubular cells. We use a combination of in vitro molecular biology techniques, gene knock out mice and in vivo models of disease and development, to test our basic findings in renal disease.