Matt Wilson Lab
Engineering Cell and Gene Therapies for Kidney Disease
We use cutting-edge technologies to develop new therapies for kidney disease
Principal Investigator Matthew H. Wilson, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist nephrologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and a practicing physician at the Nashville VA hospital.
Gene transfer to the kidney remains understudied
This is unfortunate as chronic kidney disease plagues up to 14% of the U.S. population. Dialysis remains the mainline treatment for end stage renal disease (ESRD) as kidney transplants are very limited given organ availability. The mortality of patients on dialysis (5 year survival ~20% for patients with ESRD and diabetes) is equivalent if not worse than many cancers which receive quite a bit of support for cell and gene therapy approaches.
Gene transfer approaches that could cure or limit progression of kidney disease would have a high impact on eliminating the widespread mortality and morbidity associated with kidney disease.
We use a combination of approaches to attack kidney disease including:
- Nonviral (transposons)
- Viral (adeno-associated viruses)
- Genome editing (CRISPR/Cas9)
- New technologies
- Animal models of inherited kidney diseases
Research Positions Available
Postdoctoral positions available for research in developing cell and gene therapies for kidney diseases. Individuals with a strong background in molecular biology, cell culture, and a willingness to work with animals are encouraged to apply.
The researcher will learn a variety of novel techniques for in vivo and ex vivo gene transfer including transposon technology, CRISPR/Cas9, and adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors. Current projects are focused on developing new AAV vectors targeting the kidney, developing a cell therapy for Fabry disease, and engineering non-viral gene delivery methods.
If interested in postdoctoral or graduate research training in the Wilson lab, please email matthew.wilson@vumc.org
Contact Us
Ruth King Scoville Chair in Medicine
Professor
Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension
Department of Pharmacology
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Email matthew.wilson@vumc.org