Welcome

How do kidneys form?  What happens in renal disease?

This is what we study. We investigate kidney development, genetic causes of renal malfunction and transcriptional control of renal tubular cell identity. For that, we use the Xenopus model and direct reprogramming approaches.

Models for kidney disease

To find the molecular origins of kidney disease, we need models. The tadpole  shown here can help us understand how inherited mutations in the DNA can lead to congenital kidney disease.

Direct Reprogramming

We also use direct reprogramming to generate renal tubular-like cells from fibroblasts (iRECs). Such new tubule cells assemble into complex structures in 3D environments. We aim to learn about tubular diseases using this model.

DiRECT project page

A great team

We are lucky to work with a great team. Please get in touch if you would like to join.

Our work is generously supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, the National Centre for Competence in Research (NCCR) Kidney.CH, and the ERC