Research Faculty
Natasha Abuladze, PhD
Project Scientist
Contact Information
UCLA Division of Nephrology
7-155 Factor Building
700 Tiverton Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90095
310-206-6741 Phone
310-825-6309 Fax
Dr. Abuladze has been involved over the last decade in the cloning and expression of SLC4 transporters. Her experiments led to the discovery of the human membrane transporter NBCe1-B that plays an important role in most human organs. She played a key role in the discovery of the first electro neutral sodium bicarbonate co-transporter NBCn1, and the second electrogenic sodium bicarbonate co-transporter NBCe2. She participated in the large-scale expression of human SLC4 transporters in insect and yeast expression systems in order to perform their high-resolution structural characterization. She was involved in the crystal trials that have led to the first crystals of bacterial SbtA and mammalian AE1 and NBCe1-A. She participated in the purification of AE1, NBCe1-A and NBCn1 used by her team members for structural characterization using electron microscopy and 3D reconstruction approaches.
Suphamai (Michael) Bunnapradist, MD, MS
Professor of Medicine
Research Director, Renal Transplant Research
Contact Information
UCLA Division of Nephrology
1015 Gayley Ave, suite 220
Los Angeles, CA 90095
310-267-2555
Dr. Bunnapradist's research interests include outcomes registry analysis and clinical trials in kidney transplantation. His research focuses on the evaluation of immunosuppressants in transplantation, hepatitis in renal transplantation, and optimal organ utilization. He has published more than 130 papers, 200 abstracts and been the author of 6 book chapters on the topic of renal and/or liver transplantation. He has presented his research findings at numerous medical meetings and CME events and as an invited lecturer, and has published extensively in journals such as the American Journal of Transplantation, Annals of Academy of Medicine, International Journal of Artificial Organs, Gastroenterology Clinics of North America, and Transplantation.
Dr. Bunnapradist is a member of the International Society of Nephrology, United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) National Committee for Organ Availability (Region 5 Representative), the American College of Physicians, the American Society of Nephrology, the American Society of Transplantation, and the National Kidney Foundation of Southern California. He has served on committees for the AST Clinical Research Advisory Council, the Steering Committee of the American Transplant Congress, and the UNOS Organ Availability Committee. He is also Associate Editor for the American Journal of Kidney Disease and on the editorial board for Nephrology Times and Renal and Urology News.
Ira Kurtz, MD, FRCP(C)
Chief, Division of Nephrology
Distinguished Professor of Medicine
Factor Chair
Contact Information
UCLA Division of Nephrology
7-155 Factor Building
700 Tiverton Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90095
310-206-6741 Phone
310-825-6309 Fax
The Structure-Function of Ion Transporters in the Kidney
An estimated 75 million people in the Unites States have high blood pressure and approximately 30% are undiagnosed. High blood pressure is associated with the progression of all forms of renal failure and is a major cause of decline of kidney function in diabetics and other causes of kidney disease. The transport of specific ions by the kidney plays a key role in the development of high blood pressure which is a major cause of kidney functional impairment. The Kurtz lab is studying proteins in the kidney that will potentially lead to the development new treatments in the future for patients. The lab is focusing on the structure-function of two protein targets called NBCe1 and AE1 that play essential roles in both kidney ion transport and systemic acid-base chemistry. The structures of NBCe1 and AE1 are currently being investigated at low resolution and once their atomic structure is known, the lab will be in a position to develop novel drugs that can interact with and modulate their function. The long term goal is to modulate acid-base chemistry and salt transport in the kidney more effectively than is currently possible.
Minhtri Nguyen, MD
Clinical Professor of Medicine
Director, Consultative Nephrology
Contact Information
UCLA Division of Nephrology
7-155 Factor Building
700 Tiverton Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90095
310-206-6741 Phone
310-825-6309 Fax
Dr. Nguyen's research interests are in the area of fluid and electrolytes and acid-base physiology. He is particularly interested in disorders of sodium and water balance. His work has focused on defining the determinants of the plasma water sodium concentration as well as elucidating new quantitative approaches to the analysis and management of the dysnatremias. In addition, his research has also focused on deriving new quantitative approaches to the analysis of acid-base physiology.
Susanne B. Nicholas, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Contact Information
900 Veteran Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90095
310-794-7550 Phone
Dr. Nicholas is currently a tenured Associate Professor of Medicine at UCLA and a board certified Nephrologist participating in the Maintenance of Certification program, and a Clinical Hypertension Specialist. She has a joint appointment in the Division of Nephrology, where she maintains her clinical responsibilities, and the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, where she conducts her research. She established a Technology core laboratory at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, funded by NIH/NIMHD to support research related to health disparities.
Dr. Nicholas' research interests are to: understand and identify key factors that promote the pathogenesis of diabetic kidney disease (DKD); uncover and validate novel biomarkers that may predict DKD progression; and to quantify renal structural changes associated with DKD in response to novel therapeutics, using stereology principles. Her research over the past 15+ years has led to the identification of a novel biomarker of DKD, which is being validated in clinical studies. She was a PI of the multi-institutional NIH/NIDDK funded study for susceptibility genes for diabetes and the linkage relationships to nephropathy and retinopathy in Mexican Americans and African Americans. She has established collaborations locally, nationally and internationally, is well published and has served on several federal and private foundation grant review committees. She has been an active volunteer for the National Kidney Foundation and has served as President of the Medical Advisory Board Executive Committee.
Alexander Pushkin, PhD, D.SC
Adjunct Professor of Medicine
Contact Information
UCLA Division of Nephrology
7-155 Factor Building
700 Tiverton Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90095
310-206-6741 Phone
310-825-6309 Fax
Dr. Pushkin's long-term aim of his research is to develop new methods to treat human diseases based on the structural organization of disease related proteins. Towards this goal, his team has recently characterized by X-ray crystallography the atomic structure of aminoacylase 3, an enzyme involved in the nephrotoxicity of numerous environmental contaminants (PNAS, 107: 2010). This data is being used to predict the structures of potent and highly specific inhibitors of this enzyme to ameliorate the nephrotoxic effects of environmental contaminants. He played a key role in the identification of members of the SLC4 transporter family, and has also been part of Dr. Kurtz's team in the structural study of bicarbonate transporters using X-ray crystallography and cryoEM/ET. His team has recently generated crystals of full-length bovine AE1 and human NBCe1-A (2 bicarbonate SLC4 transporters), and a bacterial sodium bicarbonate cotransporter (SbtA). Given the increasing success of cryoEM/ET in the structural characterization of macromolecules at mid-near atomic resolution, we are also actively pursuing this promising methodology in our structural studies. One of the most difficult steps for the cryoEM/ET technique is in protein sample preparation. He has been spearheading the labs efforts with Dr. Kurtz and Dr. Quansheng Zhu and they have made great progress in optimizing the sample preparation for cryoEM/ET studies of membrane proteins.
Anjay Rastogi, MD, PhD
Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine
Director, UCLA Dialysis and CKD Program
Medical Director, Living Kidney Donor Evaluation Program
Contact information
10630 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310-954-2692 Phone
Dr. Rastogi's research team is involved with many clinical trials that help us towards a better understanding of how our kidneys function and guide us towards the cure for kidney disease. Clinical research helps us answer specific questions by evaluating the effectiveness and safety of new medications or medical devices by monitoring their effects on voluntary subjects. Subjects are usually divided into two groups. One group receives the placebo (not the experimental treatment) or the present standard treatment, while the other group receives the experimental treatment. We are participating in clinical research trials that deal with anemia, infections, secondary hyperphosphatemia, hypertension, polycystic kidney disease (PKD), Fabry disease, chronic kidney disease, diabetic nephropathy, secondary hyperparathyroidism, and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.
Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) - PKD is an inherited (Autosomal Dominant) disease of the kidneys that results in cyst formation and their progressive enlargement over the years. As a consequence patients experience symptoms such as high blood pressure, flank/back pain, and blood in the urine.
Hypertension - Abnormal high blood pressure is one of the most common diseases, which over an extended period of time may lead to very unfavorable outcomes. Often times it is without symptoms and goes unnoticed or untreated. In the general population, hypertension is considered greater than 139 mmHg systolic pressure and greater than 89 mmHg diastolic pressure, whereas in Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease patients it is greater than 129 mmHg systolic pressure and greater than 79 mmHg diastolic pressure.
Fabry Disease - It is a rare inherited (X-linked) disease that is caused by dysfunctional metabolism of specific lipids called Sphingolipids and their abnormal storage in cellular structures around the body. It is often times misdiagnosed because of its rarity and the wide spectrum of nonspecific symptoms and complications such as fatigue, high blood pressure, and protein in the urine.
Anemia - Chronic Kidney Disease patients present with low oxygen carrying capacity by the red blood cells in the blood due to the absence of erythropoietin which is normally produced by the kidney cells. Anemia is a general symptom that may cause feeling of tiredness/fatigue.
Diabetic Nephropathy - In diabetic patients, it is the progressive damage that occurs in the kidneys due to high glucose levels in the blood which over time leads to progressive decline in kidney function to the point of Chronic Kidney Failure.
Clostridium Difficile (C-Diff) Infection - It is a diarrhea causing bacterial infection of the bowel that often time affects individuals who are on broad spectrum antibiotics for other unrelated infections and/or are hospitalized for an extended period.
Secondary Hyperphosphatemia - It is an elevated level of phosphate in the blood that is the result of a decline in kidney function.
Secondary Hyperparathyroidism - It is the intensified functioning of the parathyroid glands located in the neck secondary to an unrelated cause elsewhere in the body such as kidney failure. High parathyroid hormones in the circulation ultimately lead to high phosphorus levels in the blood and weakened bones.
Focal Segmental Glumerosclerosis (FSGS) - It is a complicated diseased state of the kidneys in which the filtering units called the glomeruli are fibrotic (scarred) focally throughout the kidneys.