
Benjamin D. Humphreys, MD, PhD
Joseph Friedman Professor of Renal Diseases in Medicine and Chief, Division of Nephrology
- Email: humphreysbd@wustl.edu
Additional Titles
- Professor
Related Links
Location
Patients seen at

Center for Advanced Medicine
- Physical Address: 4921 Parkview Place, Saint Louis, MO, United States
- Mailing Address: 4921 Parkview Place
Suite C, 5th Floor
St. Louis, MO 63110 - Phone: 314-362-7603
- Fax: 314-747-2460
Mailing Address
Division of Nephrology
- Mailing Address: 660 S. Euclid Ave., CB 8126
St. Louis, MO 63110
Education
- Undergraduate: Harvard College, Cambridge, MA, (1991)
- MD, PhD: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, (2000)
- Internal Medicine Residency: Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, (2002)
- Nephrology Fellowship: Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, (2005)
Board Certifications
- Nephrology: Board Certified
Recognition
Gottschalk Award, American Society of Nephrology
Secretary Treasurer, American Society of Clinical Investigation
Established Investigator, American Heart Association
Regular Member, Pathobiology of Kidney Disease study section, National Institutes of Health
Research Interests
The mission of the Humphreys Lab is to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of kidney regeneration and thereby identify new therapeutic strategies for humans suffering from kidney disease. A primary focus is on stem cell-based therapeutic approaches. We use mouse as a model system as well as human pluripotent stem cells. The work encompasses two main areas:
- Developing stem cell-based approaches to treat kidney disease in humans.
- Understanding the mechanisms of kidney repair and recovery after injury.
Publications
Selected Publications
1. H. Wu, Y. Kirita, E.L. Donnelly and B.D. Humphreys. Advantages of single nucleus over single cell RNA-sequencing of adult kidney: Rare cell types and novel cell states revealed in fibrosis. J Am Soc Neph, 30(1):23-32, 2019. Rapid Communication.
2. H. Wu, K. Uchimura, E. Donnelly, Y. Kirita, S.A. Morris and B.D. Humphreys. Comparative analysis and refinement of human PSC-derived kidney organoid differentiation with single cell transcriptomics. Cell Stem Cell, 23(6):869-881, 2018.
3. R. Kramann, F. Machado, H. Wu, K. Hoeft, R.K. Schneider and B.D. Humphreys. Parabiosis and Single Cell RNA-Sequencing Reveals a Limited Contribution of Hematopoietic Cells to the Myofibroblast Pool in Kidney Fibrosis. JCI Insight, 3(9):e99561, 2018. *Cover art
4. Y. Ikeda, Z. Sun, X. Ru, L.H. Vandenberghe and B.D. Humphreys. Efficient gene transfer to kidney mesenchymal cells using a synthetic adeno-associated viral vector. J Am Soc Neph, 29(9):2287-2297, 2018.
5. H. Wu, A.F. Malone, E. Donnelly, Y. Kirita, K. Uchimura, S.M. Ramakrishnan, J. Gaut and B.D. Humphreys. Single cell transcriptomics of a human kidney allograft biopsy defines a diverse inflammatory response. J Am Soc Neph, 29(8):2069-2080, 2018. *Cover art
6. R. Kramann, C. Goettsch, J. Wongboonsin, H. Iwata, R. K. Schneider, C. Kuppe, N. Kaesler, M. Chang-Panesso, F. Machado, S. Gratwohl, K. Madhurima, J.D. Hutcheson, S. Jain, E. Aikawa and B.D. Humphreys. Adventitial MSC-like cells are progenitors of vascular smooth muscle cells and drive vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease. Cell Stem Cell, 19(5):628-642, 2016.
7. R. Kramann, S.V. Fleig, R.K. Schneider, S.L. Fabian, D.P. DiRocco, O.H. Maarouf, J. Wongboonsin, Y. Ikeda, D. Heckl, S.L. Chang, H.G. Rennke, S.S. Waikar and B.D. Humphreys. Gli2 regulates myofibroblast cell-cycle progression in kidney fibrosis and is a novel therapeutic target. J Clin Invest, 25(8):2935-51, 2015.
8. R. Kramann, R.K. Schneider, D.P. DiRocco, F. Machado, S.V. Fleig, P.A. Bondzie, J.M. Henderson, B.L. Ebert and B.D. Humphreys. Perivascular Gli1+ progenitors are key contributors to injury-induced organ fibrosis. Cell Stem Cell, 16(1):51-66, 2015.
9. I. Grgic, A.F. Hofmeister, G. Genovese, A.J. Bernhardy, H. Sun, O.H. Maarouf, V. Bijol, M.R. Pollak and B.D. Humphreys. Discovery of new glomerular disease-relevant genes by translational profiling of podocytes in vivo. Kidney Int, 86(6):1116-29, 2014.
10. T. Kusaba, M. Lalli, R. Kramann, A. Kobayashi and B.D. Humphreys. Differentiated kidney epithelial cells repair injured proximal tubule. Proc Nat Acad Sci, 111(4)1527-32, 2014.