Lauren Bell
Program: Immunology
Current advisor: Rotating in the lab of Benjamin D. Humphreys, MD, PhD
Undergraduate university: Washington University
Research summary
Single cell and single nuclear RNA sequencing studies recently resolved a population of VCAM1+CCL2+ failed-repair proximal tubule cells that appear days after ischemic-reperfusion injury and persist for months. Failed-repair proximal tubule cells have been described as “maladaptive” because of their association with the AKI-to-CKD transition and persistent pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic state months after the normalization of kidney function. Macrophages play critical roles in orchestrating both repair and fibrosis after acute injury, but which subsets drive these processes are poorly defined. My work aims to define how the macrophage niche surrounding tubular neighborhoods differ between successfully repaired and failed-repair proximal tubular cells.
Graduate publications