Pediatric Center of Excellence in Nephrology - Just another University of Virginia School of Medicine site

Pediatric Center of Excellence

The Center of Excellence in Pediatric Nephrology strives to provide a coordinated, interdisciplinary, and inter-institutional approach to studying the development of the kidney during embryonic, fetal and postnatal life. The center brings together investigators from the University of Virginia and Tulane University. The main research theme is “Kidney Development and Disease: Cell Fate and Precursors of Disease in the Young and Adult.” Broadly, the proposed research deals with fundamental questions of clinical relevance in Pediatric Nephrology such as the understanding of kidney morphogenesis and homeostasis in health and disease. The experimental approaches range from examination of epigenetic mechanisms that control cell fate, plasticity, and identity and the cellular signals underlying the phenotypic transformation that occurs during kidney injury and repair.

Summer Students in Lab Opportunity

The UVA NIH Pediatric Center of Excellence in Nephrology will support three 2025 Summer students in our labs. This is a full-time position (40 hours per week) during the summer break (minimum commitment: 8 weeks, and a stipend of approx. $15/hour; for students currently enrolled in or recently graduated from an accredited college or university). Students will be learning and working on current projects of the lab under the direct supervision of other lab members.

Interested candidates should send an email to Jalen Hill (JOH2T@uvahealth.org) and Dr. Sequeira-Lopez (MSL7U@virginia.edu) with their CV, GPA, and transcripts and request a letter of support from a mentor/teacher.

Deadline: March 1^st, 2025.

Accepted candidates will be notified by mid- end of March.

UVA Discovery a Major Step Toward Growing Kidneys

Researchers at the Pediatric Center of Excellence in Nephrology at UVA have identified the cells that give rise to the blood vessels within the kidney.

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Pediatric Centers of Excellence in Nephrology Call for Pilot & Feasibility Proposals in Pediatric Kidney Disease Cycle 4: 2025 Start Date

The Pediatric Centers of Excellence in Nephrology (PCENs) at the University of Virginia (UVA), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) are issuing a joint RFA for Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) projects.

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Photo of The Pediatric Center of Excellence in Nephrology (PCEN) at the University of Virginia (UVA)

Research Cores/Services available

The PCEN at the University of Virginia supports one biomedical research core to assist PCEN investigators in two important areas: 1) Transcriptome and epigenome technologies and 2) Bioinformatics. The Single Cell Epigenomics, Transcriptomics, and Bioinformatics Core is directed by two experienced researchers and staffed with highly trained personnel. The scope of the core is in line with the overall theme of this PCEN which is “Kidney Development and Disease: Cell Fate and Precursors of Disease in the Young and Adult.” The experimental approaches of the PCEN involve the examination of epigenetic mechanisms that control cell fate, plasticity, and identity and the cellular signals underlying the phenotypic transformation that occurs during kidney injury and repair. The objective of the Core is to support the scientific goals of the PCEN by providing state-of-the-art services in the areas of epigenomics, transcriptomics, and bioinformatics to the two main research projects, PCEN Pilot Projects and independently funded pediatric kidney researchers at UVA and other institutions.

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Photo of family at The Pediatric Center of Excellence in Nephrology (PCEN) at the University of Virginia (UVA)

Pilot Program

The pilot and feasibility program encourages young and established investigators to take up research relevant to kidney development and disease and speed the acquisition of knowledge that can be applied to treatment of children with renal and urological diseases.

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Enrichment Program

The center aims to inspire, attract and stimulate the interest of young individuals in Pediatric Nephrology research.

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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

NIDDK conducts and supports research on many of the most common, costly, and chronic conditions to improve health.

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The Pediatric Centers of Excellence in Nephrology Present 2025 PCEN Scientific Symposium

The Pediatric Centers of Excellence in Nephrology (PCEN) invite you to their annual Scientific Symposium. This meeting will be an opportunity for you to hear about resources you can access from the PCENs, updates on PCEN science, collaborative opportunities with PCEN researchers, mentorship and funding opportunities, and a hands-on workshop on cutting-edge technologies to

Gomez and Sequeira Lopez lab researchers and members of PCEN.

advance your research! Please REGISTER to RSVP.

Some of the activities will be in a hybrid format.

When: March 6^th, 2025, 9am–3pm EST

Where: NIH/NIDDK, 6701 Rockledge Dr, Bethesda, MD 20817 (and Virtually via Zoom)

We are excited to share our vision for this symposium, including:

Keynote Speakers: Dr. Rulan Parekh and Dr. Samir El-Dahr will join us in person for presentations and Q&A. Keynotes will be available for virtual attendees.
Posters: Share your research at a national event! We are issuing a call for posters that is open to everyone. There are no eligibility requirements, but we do need to know if you are interested! Please see below for submittal instructions.
Pre-Symposium Trainee Session with NIDDK: Starting at 8am, trainees and early-career investigators are welcome to join our program counterparts at NIDDK to discuss funding frameworks for this career stage.
Lunchtime Workshops: We are hosting two workshops during the lunch hour! Introduction and Analysis of Spatial Transcriptomics with Drs. Sanjay Jain, Katalin Susztak, Michael Eadon, Jason Smith, and Silvia Medrano and Modern Methods for Real-World Comparative Effectiveness Research with Drs. Michelle Denburg, Hanieh Razzaghi, and Jarcy Zee. Join one to get some hands-on experience!
Working Groups: In-person attendees will have the opportunity to split into groups and share their perspectives on gaps and opportunities in research for early career investigators.
Participate and contribute ideas to identifying and solving gaps in pediatric kidney disease research!

Please direct any questions about the Symposium to CHOPPCEN@chop.edu.

For those attending in person:

Hotel block available at Embassy Suites by Hilton Bethesda, 6711 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda, MD 20817. There will be a shuttle provided by the hotel to take you to and from the NIH Symposium location. Please use our LINK to reserve in our block for Symposium pricing. Dates will default to March 5–6, but can be adjusted. Reservations for the PCEN block MUST be made by Wednesday, February 5^th.

POSTER SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS

A new element for this year’s Symposium is the poster session. In addition to our keynotes and other presentations highlighting Center resources, we will be featuring YOUR research! Please note that there are opportunities to join the symposium virtually, but the poster session will be available for those joining in-person only.

We are collecting information for poster submittals through this REDCAP SURVEY. This information includes:

Name, email, institution, etc.
Project Abstract (including title, co-authors, background, objectives, design/methods, results, and conclusions)
A description of your research interests
Your interest in travel support

Please complete the survey to submit your poster. All posters and requests for travel support must be received by Friday, January 10 at 5:00pm EST.

https://news.med.virginia.edu/files/2024/12/PCEN-Network-Symposium-Flyer.pdf

The Pediatric Centers of Excellence in Nephrology are funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) P50DK096373 (UVA), P50DK114786 (CHOP), and P50DK133943 (St. Louis).