Promising Therapies for the Treatment of Podocyte Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-induced NS/FSGS

A new study led by Ying Maggie Chen, MD, PhD, Division of Nephrology, found a new class of drugs that shows great promise in the treatment of nephrotic syndrome (NS) resulting from podocyte endoplasmic reticulum (ER) dysfunction. NS is a leading cause of chronic kidney disease affecting over 500 million people worldwide.  Damage to podocytes, […]

Ying Maggie Chen Receives Center for Drug Discovery Investigator Matching Grant

Congratulations to Ying Maggie Chen, MD, PhD, who just received an Investigator Matching Micro Grant funded by the Center for Drug Discovery (CDD) at Washington University for her proposal titled Development of a Novel Biotherapeutic Protein to Treat Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Mediated Kidney Disease. Although accumulating evidence has highlighted the important role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) […]

Dr. Maggie Chen and Yeawon Kim Honored at OTM’s Annual Celebration of Inventors

The Division of Nephrology congratulates Assistant Professor of Medicine Ying (Maggie) Chen, MD, PhD, and Yeawon Kim, who were among the Washington University innovators and inventors honored at the 2nd Annual Celebration of Inventors on May 7, 2019, at Innovation Hall in the Cortex Innovation Community.  The event was sponsored by the Office of Technology […]

Patent Issued for Urinary Biomarkers for ER Stress-Mediated Kidney Disease

A U.S. patent was issued on 12/18/2018 to Division of Nephrology faculty member Ying (Maggie) Chen, MD, PhD, and co-inventor Yeawon Kim for their discovery of noninvasive biomarkers that have the potential to help diagnose certain human kidney diseases in their earliest stages of development. The patent is based on their research published in JCI […]

Broad Clinical Applications for CRELD2 as an ER Stress Biomarker

Thanks to a new study headed by Ying Maggie Chen, MD, PhD, it may soon be possible to diagnose certain human kidney diseases in their earliest stages of development using a noninvasive biomarker of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The study, Elevated Urinary CRELD2 is Associated with Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-mediated Kidney Disease, was published online in […]

Ying Maggie Chen – Translational Research Featured New Investigator

A review article by the group of Ying Maggie Chen, MD, PhD, Assistant professor of Medicine, Nephrology, was published as part of the Featured New Investigator series in the journal Translational Research. The article, Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF), a new player in endoplasmic reticulum diseases: structure, biology, and therapeutic roles, is based on first […]

WU Represents! ASN Kidney Week 2017

ASN Kidney Week 2017 will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA, Tuesday October 31 through Sunday November 5. Below is a list of those in the Division of Nephrology and Pediatric Nephrology who have abstracts, oral Presentations or will moderate sessions. Wednesday, November 1 Anitha Vijayan, MD, Professor […]

Maggie Chen Awarded $1.52M NIH R01 Grant to Study Nephrotic Syndrome

Congratulations to Assistant Professor of Medicine Ying (Maggie) Chen, MD, PhD, who has been awarded a five-year $1.52M total costs, R01 grant from the NIH to fund a research project titled Podocyte Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Nephrotic Syndrome. Nephrotic syndrome (NS), characterized by heavy proteinuria and increased risk of loss of kidney function, causes serious […]

Targeting VEGF and IL-6 in Castleman’s Disease with Renal Involvement

A case report by a team of Washington University nephrologists and pathologists from Arkana Laboratories may prove valuable in directing future treatment of Castleman’s Disease (CD) with renal involvement. The report, published in the journal BMC Nephrology, describes a patient presenting with a very rare, aggressive form of multicentric CD with renal thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). […]

Angiopoietin-1 Mitigates Renal Fibrosis

Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), a vascular growth factor secreted by kidney proximal tubular cells, pericytes and podocytes, is essential for regulating blood vessel development and repair after injury.  Ang-1 is also a promising therapeutic agent to target renal fibrosis, according to a study by WU researchers recently published in PLoSOne, As a result of injury to the […]