Kumar Sharma Laboratory at UC San Diego

Dr. Sharma's research efforts have focused on the pathogenesis of diabetic kidney disease. His laboratory helped define the central role of the cytokine Transforming Growth Factor-b (TGF-b) in DN using cell culture and animal models and translated these findings to the human condition. These studies contributed to the development of the highly innovative anti-fibrotic approaches that are currently being tested in clinical research trials under Dr. Sharma's guidance. Recently, Dr. Sharma has focused his attention on the contribution of the kidney to cardiovascular disease in diabetes and obesity. His group was the first to describe the role of adiponectin on podocyte function. His group has also used novel proteomic methods for clinical applications and for kidney disease. The goal of his research efforts is to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for personalized medicine in diabetes complications and kidney disease.

Dr. Sharma has maintained a strong clinical practice with a focus on patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and kidney disease. He has conducted NIH-funded and industry supported investigator-initiated clinical trials. He has a major interest in the development of clinical biomarkers of kidney disease progression.

Selected Publications

1. Ziyadeh FN., Hoffman BB., Han DC., Iglesias-De La Cruz MC., Hong SW., Isono M., Chen S., McGowan TA., Sharma K. Long-term prevention of renal insufficiency, excess matrix gene expression, and glomerular mesangial matrix expansion by treatment with monoclonal anti-transforming growth factor-beta antibody in db/db diabetic mice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences-USA. 97:8015-8020, 2000. Press release.
2. Sharma, K., Deelman, L., Madesh, M. Kurz, B., Ciccone, E., Siva, S., Hu, T., Zhu, Y., Wang, L., Henning, R., Ma, X., Hajnoczky, G. Involvement of Transforming Growth Factor-beta in regulation of calcium transients in diabetic vascular smooth muscle cells. American Journal of Physiology, Renal Fluid and Electrolyte, 285:F1258-F1270, 2003
3. Susztak, K., Böttinger, E.P, Novetsky, A., Liang, D., Zhu, Y, Ciccone, E., Wu, D., Dunn, S., McCue, P., Sharma, K. Molecular profiling of diabetic mouse kidney reveals novel genes linked to glomerular disease. Diabetes, 53:784-794 2004.
4. Susztak, K, Ciccone, E, McCue, P., Sharma, K, Böttinger, E. Multiple Metabolic Hits Converge on CD36 Scavenger Receptor as Novel Mediator of Tubular Epithelial Apoptosis in Diabetic Nephropathy. Public Library of Science, 2:0152-0161, e45, 2005. Press release.
5. Sharma, K, Lee, S-H, Han, S, Lee, S, Francos, B, McCue, P, Shaw, M.A., RamachandraRao, S, Two dimensional fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis (DIGE) analysis of the urine proteome in human diabetic nephropathy. Proteomics 5:2648 – 2655, 2005.
6. Zhu, Y., Usui, H., Sharma. K. Regulation of Transforming Growth Factor-beta in Diabetic Nephropathy: Implications for Treatment in Diabetic Nephropathy. Seminars in Nephrology, invited review Mar;27(2):153-60, 2007