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Diana Zepeda-Orozco, MD

Contact Information

Office: SE425 GH
Phone: 319-356-7249
Faculty Profile


Brief description of current research:

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a devastating, progressive condition afflicting 8-11% of the population in the US. Diabetes is the major cause of CKD, with 41% of diabetic patients developing CKD. There is currently no treatment available to prevent the irreversible progression of CKD to end stage renal disease, with the ultimate outcome being dialysis and/or kidney transplantation. A major driver of progression to end stage renal disease is tubulointerstitial fibrosis, which is thought to be accelerated by hyperglycemia. Although it is recognized that diabetes is accompanied by upregulation of renal glucose uptake, gluconeogenesis, and abnormalities in the mitochondrial electron transport chain causing oxidative stress, the mechanisms regulating renal gluconeogenesis and mitochondrial carbon flux for ATP generation are almost unexplored. The Zepeda-Orozco Lab is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating tubular epithelial cell mitochondrial function, their relationship to renal glucose homeostasis and renal fibrosis.

 

3 most influential diabetes/obesity/metabolism publications:

  • Zepeda-Orozco, D., Kong, M., Scheuermann, R.H. Mitochondrial Dysfunction Molecular Profile in Kidney Transplant Biopsies is Associated with Poor Allograft Outcome. Transplantation Proceedings. Accepted 4/2015. This work was also present as abstract in the American Society of Nephrology International Meeting in 2013.
  • Gray L, Sultana MR, Oonthonpan L, Tompkins S, Sharma A, Fu X, Miao R, Pewa AD, Brown KS, Lane EE, Dohlman A, Zepeda-Orozco D, Xie J, Rutter J, Norris AW, Cox JE, Burgess SC, Potthoff MJ, Taylor E.  Hepatic Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier 1 is required for efficient regulation of gluconeogenesis and whole-body glucose homeostasis. Cell Metabolism. In Press
  • Li L, Zepeda-Orozco D, Black R, Lin F. Autophagy is a component of epithelial cell fate in obstructive uropathy. American Journal of Pathology, 176(4):1767-78, 2010

 

Quote:

“Diabetes is the major cause of chronic kidney disease. I’m passionate about discovering new treatments for preventing and stopping progression of chronic kidney disease to improve health and quality of life in afflicted patients.”