Felder, Robin A.
Primary Appointment
Professor, Pathology
Education
- PhD, , Georgetown University
Contact Information
PO Box 801400
450 Ray C Hunt Dr. Fontaine Research Park
Charlottesville, VA 22903
Telephone: 924-5151
Email: raf7k@virginia.edu
Research Disciplines
Biochemistry, Bioinformatics and Genomics, Biophysics, Cardiovascular Biology, Computational Biology, Epigenetics, Experimental Pathology, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology, Structural Biology, Translational Science
Research Interests
Clinical Chemistry and Toxicology. Medical Automation Research. Neurotransmitters, cell surface receptors and intracellular second messengers.
Research Description
They have no symptoms, but subjects with untreated hypertension and salt sensitivity will have major health challenges such as blindness, stroke, kidney failure, and heart attacks. These devastating (and costly) endpoints will affect over 50% of the adult population. We have discovered a key regulatory pathway that controls sodium handling by epithelial cells, induces high blood pressure in mice, and is recapitulated in human test subjects. We have three laboratories (including support core facilities) focused on studying various aspects of the molecular basis of sodium excretion and blood pressure control. We employ genetic screening, cell based assays, clinical trial protocols, and behavioral surveys in order to fully understand the etiology of disease. Our automated drug discovery laboratory will also train students in modern techniques of setting up and running laboratory automation. In addition, we have a translational component of our research that has resulted in 8 "spin-out" companies, which have provided private sector opportunities for students post graduation.