Hyperglycemia and diabetic kidney and nerve disease
Kumar Sharma   (La Jolla, CA)
The proposed summer student application will seek to mine the AMDCC database to evaluate two key questions, 1. Does the degree of hyperglycemia correlate with the diabetic kidney and nerve complications, and 2. Are features of diabetic kidney and nerve disease track with each other? To answer these questions there will be a joint mentorship to guide several talented students for the summer period. Several new mouse models with diabetes have been developed by the AMDCC and their data has been deposited in the AMDCC website. With the information already available, the question of whether the plasma glucose levels across the duration of diabetes will be correlated with albuminuria and plasma creatinine levels (as markers of kidney function) as well as nerve conduction velocity and sensory loss (as markers of neuropathy) in aim 1. In aim 2, the data describing the quantitation of albuminuria and mesangial matrix will be correlated with nerve dysfunction. Data will be analyzed with the assistance of a tema of mentors that will include Dr. Sharma (for nephropathy), Dr. Nigel Calcutt for neuropathy, Dr. Tim Ravasi (for bioinformatic support) and Dr. Ronghui (Lily) Xu (for biostatistical support). Students will include one college student and two high school students who have some expertise basic biology research, bioinformatic analysis, and mouse models.