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Reena Rao, MPhil, PhD

Reena Rao, MPhil, PhD
Professor, Nephrology and Hypertension

Deputy Director , Deputy Director of Jared Grantham Kidney Institute

rrao@kumc.edu

Professional Background

Associate Professor
School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology andamp; Hypertension

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

Education and Training
  • BSc, Zoology, Catholicate College, Mahatma -Gandhi University, India, Kerala, India
  • Post Doctoral Fellowship, Nephrology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, Nashville, TN
Professional Affiliations
  • American Heart Association, Member, 2016 - Present
  • American Society of Nephrology, Member, 2006 - Present

Research

Overview

Research Focus:
I am a biomedical researcher and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center. I obtained my PhD in biotechnology from the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, India, and did my Postdoctoral fellowship training in nephrology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville. My research program is focused on understanding the pathophysiology of kidney diseases to develop therapies. My research group’s work has provided critical insights on the role of glycogen synthase kinase-3 in the regulation of water homeostasis by the kidneys, and the pathophysiology of acute kidney injury and polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Our current studies are focused on determining how the cyst microenvironment supports cyst growth in PKD kidneys, and the role of circadian clock disruption as a trigger for rapid PKD progression. My group discovered a novel cell-cell crosstalk whereby cyst lining epithelial cells activate vasopressin type-2 receptor (V2R)-mediated and YAP-CTGF dependent paracrine cell signaling that accumulates interstitial myofibroblasts in ADPKD kidneys. Myofibroblasts in turn promote cyst growth. We also identified a pathogenic role of V2R in renal cell carcinoma tumors, and repurposed Tolvaptan for therapy. Our studies utilize transgenic mice, cell culture, imaging, biochemical and molecular biological approaches to identify and test drug targets. I have 31 publications in this field, has good scientific collaborations, and our studies are currently funded by research grants from NIH and the Department of defense.