Sorin Fedeles, PhD, MBA, assistant professor adjunct of internal medicine (nephrology) at Yale School of Medicine, has received an Investigator Initiated Research Award from the Department of Defense, for a project titled “Inhibition of the Ire1alpha-XBP1 Pathway Using Toyocamycin as a Novel Way to Inhibit Progression of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney and Liver Disease.”
The focus of the research is autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Polycystic kidney disease is one of 42 topic areas under the department’s Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP). ADPKD is a disease through which tubule-derived cysts form and develop in the kidneys over decades, eventually leading to destruction of kidney architecture and function and end-stage renal disease. Fedeles aims to use genetic inhibition of the Ire1α-XBP1 pathway, coupled with chemical inhibition of Ire1α via toyocamycin (previously used in a clinical trial), to slow the growth of cysts by selectively destroying the mutant cells that form them.
The period of the grant is from December 2021 through November 2025. A major portion of the selection process relies heavily on the ratings and evaluations of scientific peer review panels.
This work was supported by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs through the. Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program under Award No. W81XWH-22-1-005. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense.