Project Summary:
Despite daily blood sugar management, one in three people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) develop diabetic kidney disease. The current treatment for severe kidney disease is not safe for people with T1D. Dr. Gonzalez-Vicente work aims to improve treatment options for diabetic kidney disease. He is studying a molecule called STING, which acts like a molecular alarm, normally produced in response to infections. Studies on various kidney diseases have shown that kidney cells can get stuck expressing this molecular alarm, which causes too much inflammation. Eventually, the inflammation destroys the kidney cells and leads to diabetic kidney disease. Dr. Gonzalez-Vicente’s project will study whether STING causes kidney cell damage in T1D in a laboratory model. He will also analyze single cell RNA sequencing data from people with T1D with and without diabetic kidney disease to identify whether a molecular signature of STING activation is associated with diabetic kidney disease. Using this data, Dr. Gonzalez-Vicente will be able to determine a mechanism for diabetic kidney disease. If STING is responsible for diabetic kidney disease, this will open up a new avenue for the treatment and preventing diabetic kidney disease in people with T1D.
