Research from the Thakor Lab Featured on the Cover of Molecular Therapy: Methods & Clinical Development

Cover of Molecular Therapy: Methods & Clinical Development featuring the research of the Thakor Lab.
Molecular Therapy: Methods & Clinical Development, Vol 13, June 2020.

Illustration by Amy Thomas

June 12, 2020

Research from Avnesh Thakor, MD, PhD, and members of his Interventional Regenerative Medicine and Imaging Laboratory has been featured on the June 2020 cover of Molecular Therapy: Methods & Clinical Development. Their article is entitled, "Reversing Acute Kidney Injury Using Pulsed Focused Ultrasound and MSC Therapy: A Role for HSP-Mediated PI3K/AKT Signaling".

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is characterized by a sudden failure of renal function, but despite its increasing worldwide prevalence, current treatments are largely supportive with no curative therapies. In this study, mesenchymal stem cells in conjunction with pulsed focused ultrasound (pFUS) was shown to improve kidney function and stimulate kidney regeneration.  The study showed that using this cellular therapy and novel technology, there was a reduction in histological markers of kidney injury, a decrease in inflammation and apoptosis, and promotion of cellular proliferation through independent, as well as synergistic, pathways linked to the upregulation of HSP20/HSP40 and subsequent PI3K/Akt signaling.

Congratulations, Dr. Thakor and team!