Peter Lobo, MD Lab

Division of Nephrology; Center for Immunity, Inflammation & Regenerative Medicine

PRIMARY APPOINTMENT

Professor of Medicine, Medicine: Nephrology

Contact:

UVA Division of Nephrology
PO Box 800133
Charlottesville, VA 22908
Telephone: 434-924-5125
Email: [email protected]

Pub Med

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Fellowship, Nephrology, Immunology, Transplantation, University of Virginia
MD, Makerere University
Residency, Makerere University

NIH RePORT

RESEARCH AREAS

Basic Transplant Immunology; Role of Naturally occurring IgM antibodies in Acute Kidney Injury and transplant rejection.

CURRENT LABORATORY MEMBERS

Contact:

Email: [email protected]

Dr. Sylvia Cechova received her undergraduate degree in Nuclear Chemistry as well as her graduate Ph.D. degree in Radiation Chemistry from Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. She conducted postdoctoral research in the Department of Anesthesiology and in the Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, to study the effect of drugs and anesthetics on the threshold for isoflurane anesthesia and to study the transient release of adenosine and dopamine in rat brain in vivo, using fast-scan voltammetry with a carbon-fiber microelectrode, respectively. She joined the Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, in August 2013 to work with Dr. Thu Le on a project that focused on identifying genes associated with hypertension. Especially they were interested in GSTM1 and Collectrin genes and how their deletion or modification of them will affect the development of hypertension and the progression of kidney disease and its cardiovascular consequences. After the last two years in Dr. Swaminatan Lab, where she focused on the roles of hepcidin, ferroptosis, and macrophage iron metabolism in the progression of chronic kidney disease and renal fibrosis, she joined the Dr. Okusa and Dr. Lobo labs in May 2020. Her current research focuses on the sphingolipid pathway's contribution to the prevention or attenuation of fibrosis following AKI and the role of natural IgM upregulation in the recovery after AKI.

Lab Team Images

Peter Lobo, MD and Kailo Schlegel

Zhongmin Du and Kailo Schlegel

Zhongmin Du

Peter Lobo, MD

Peter Lobo, MD and Mark Okusa, MD

Nephrology Lab Team

Sylvia Cechova, PhD

Kailo Schlegel, Zhongmin Du, Nataliya Skrypnyk, and Peter Lobo

Sylvia Cechova, PhD

RESEARCH SUMMARY

My primary research investigates the role of naturally occurring IgM autoantibodies that bind to receptors on inflammatory and endothelial cells. Thus far, we have shown that these antibodies regulate inflammatory cell functions and downregulate the inflammatory response that occurs after acute ischemic injury to the kidney and after transplantation (i.e. rejection). A subset of normal individuals and patients awaiting transplantation (i.e. kidney, heart) have high levels of these natural antibodies. We and others have noted a strong association between the presence of elevated IgM anti-leukocyte natural antibodies and protection from rejection.

Currently, our primary research efforts are focused on 1) studying the mechanism by which IgM downregulates the inflammatory response; 2) determining if there is a role of IgM in inducing transplant tolerance, thus decreasing the use of immunosuppressive agents; and 3) evaluating strategies (e.g. vaccines) to increase levels of such antibodies, especially in patients awaiting transplantation. Other clinical studies aim to determine if there is an association between levels of such antibodies and the severity of renal failure (e.g. after cardiac surgery) and severity of glomerular inflammation (e.g. in SLE or IgA nephropathy).

My clinical research involves transplant immunobiology, primarily focusing on B cell regulation, alloantibodies, and desensitizing patients with donor-specific antibodies.