Gentzon Hall, MD, PhD, medical instructor (Nephrology), was recently awarded funding for his research project entitled, “Novel Gene Discovery in African Americans with Hereditary Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis."
In this project, he seeks to identify and functionally characterize causal FSGS gene mutations in African American families with autosomal dominant FSGS, a form of Nephrotic Syndrome that disproportionately affects this population. FSGS can be particularly aggressive in African Americans, characterized by early onset, poor response to therapy, and rapid progression to end-stage kidney disease. Through focusing on the population at greatest risk for the most severe manifestations of the disease, he is hoping to identify novel causal FSGS genes that will provide insights into the most severe forms of the disease and uncover new diagnostic and therapeutic targets pertaining to treatment.
Dr. Hall’s funding comes from a career development award funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Award Program and the American Society of Nephrology.