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Dennis Moledina

MD, PhD, FASN
Assistant Professor; Director, Kidney BioBank, Internal Medicine

Contact Information

Dennis Moledina, MD, PhD, FASN

Mailing Address

  • Clinical and Translational Research Accelerator (CTRA)

    60 Temple St., Ste. 6C

    New Haven, CT 06510

    United States

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Yale Medicine

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Research Summary

Dr. Moledina is a board-certified Nephrologist and clinical researcher at the Clinical and Translational Research Accelerator in the Department of Internal Medicine. He completed a clinical and research fellowship in Nephrology at Yale and earned his PhD from the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Investigative Medicine Program). He is currently evaluating biomarkers for acute interstitial nephritis and acute kidney injury, enrolling participants in NIH-funded cohorts including Kidney Precision Medicine Program (KPMP) and care of outpatients after AKI (COPE-AKI), and directs the Yale Kidney BioBank.

Extensive Research Description

Dr. Moledina is a board-certified nephrologist and a clinical researcher focused on improving understanding of human acute kidney injury (AKI) through biomarkers. He obtained training in clinical investigation through a post-doctoral fellowship in Nephrology research as well as a PhD in Investigative Medicine at Yale. His research experience includes leading the enrollment of a cohort of over 650 participants who underwent a kidney biopsy at Yale with simultaneous collection of biosamples with histologically-confirmed diagnosis. In this cohort, he identified diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of AIN. He also evaluated participant perspectives towards donating tissue to research and factors for safe procurement of such tissue. He is a co-investigator at the Yale recruitment site of the NIDDK-sponsored Kidney Precision Medicine Program that obtains kidney tissue for research from participants with acute kidney injury. In this consortium, he serves as the co-chair of the “Laboratory sub-committee,” led the creation of the “biospecimen collection manual of operations,” and participated in the design of the overall protocol. Additionally, he is a co-investigator in NIH-funded cohorts studying AKI including the Translational Research Investigating Biomarker Endpoints in Acute Kidney Injury (TRIBE-AKI) study, the Assessment, Serial Evaluation, and Subsequent Sequelae in Acute Kidney Injury (ASSESS AKI) study, and Care of Outpatients with AKI (COPE-AKI). He directs the Yale Kidney BioBank, which is currently recruiting participants undergoing a kidney biopsy and banking biosamples to support research efforts of other investigators.

Coauthors

Research Interests

Biopsy, Needle; Kidney; Kidney Diseases; Nephritis, Interstitial; Nephrology; Biomarkers; Translational Research, Biomedical; Acute Kidney Injury

Selected Publications

  • Urine TNF-α and IL-9 for clinical diagnosis of acute interstitial nephritis.Moledina DG, Wilson FP, Pober JS, Perazella MA, Singh N, Luciano RL, Obeid W, Lin H, Kuperman M, Moeckel GW, Kashgarian M, Cantley LG, Parikh CR. Urine TNF-α and IL-9 for clinical diagnosis of acute interstitial nephritis. JCI Insight 2019, 4 PMID: 31092735, PMCID: PMC6542610, DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.127456.
  • Mortality after acute kidney injury and acute interstitial nephritis in patients prescribed immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.Baker ML, Yamamoto Y, Perazella MA, Dizman N, Shirali AC, Hafez N, Weinstein J, Simonov M, Testani JM, Kluger HM, Cantley LG, Parikh CR, Wilson FP, Moledina DG. Mortality after acute kidney injury and acute interstitial nephritis in patients prescribed immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Journal For Immunotherapy Of Cancer 2022, 10 PMID: 35354588, PMCID: PMC8968986, DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-004421.
  • Urine Uromodulin as a Biomarker of Kidney Tubulointerstitial Fibrosis.Melchinger H, Calderon-Gutierrez F, Obeid W, Xu L, Shaw MM, Luciano RL, Kuperman M, Moeckel GW, Kashgarian M, Wilson FP, Parikh CR, Moledina DG. Urine Uromodulin as a Biomarker of Kidney Tubulointerstitial Fibrosis. Clinical Journal Of The American Society Of Nephrology : CJASN 2022 PMID: 35948365, DOI: 10.2215/CJN.04360422.
  • Development and external validation of a diagnostic model for biopsy-proven acute interstitial nephritis using electronic health record data.Moledina DG, Eadon MT, Calderon F, Yamamoto Y, Shaw M, Perazella MA, Simonov M, Luciano R, Schwantes-An TH, Moeckel G, Kashgarian M, Kuperman M, Obeid W, Cantley LG, Parikh CR, Wilson FP. Development and external validation of a diagnostic model for biopsy-proven acute interstitial nephritis using electronic health record data. Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation : Official Publication Of The European Dialysis And Transplant Association - European Renal Association 2021 PMID: 34865148, DOI: 10.1093/ndt/gfab346.
  • Urine interleukin-9 and tumor necrosis factor-α for prognosis of human acute interstitial nephritis.Moledina DG, Wilson FP, Kukova L, Obeid W, Luciano R, Kuperman M, Moeckel GW, Kashgarian M, Perazella MA, Cantley LG, Parikh CR. Urine interleukin-9 and tumor necrosis factor-α for prognosis of human acute interstitial nephritis. Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation : Official Publication Of The European Dialysis And Transplant Association - European Renal Association 2021, 36: 1851-1858. PMID: 33125471, PMCID: PMC8476079, DOI: 10.1093/ndt/gfaa169.
  • Variation in Best Practice Measures in Patients With Severe Hospital-Acquired Acute Kidney Injury: A Multicenter Study.Moledina DG, Belliveau O, Yamamoto Y, Arora T, Carey KA, Churpek M, Martin M, Partridge CM, Mansour SG, Parikh CR, Koyner JL, Wilson FP. Variation in Best Practice Measures in Patients With Severe Hospital-Acquired Acute Kidney Injury: A Multicenter Study. American Journal Of Kidney Diseases : The Official Journal Of The National Kidney Foundation 2021, 77: 547-549. PMID: 33075389, PMCID: PMC8672301, DOI: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2020.08.013.
  • The Association of COVID-19 With Acute Kidney Injury Independent of Severity of Illness: A Multicenter Cohort Study.Moledina DG, Simonov M, Yamamoto Y, Alausa J, Arora T, Biswas A, Cantley LG, Ghazi L, Greenberg JH, Hinchcliff M, Huang C, Mansour SG, Martin M, Peixoto A, Schulz W, Subair L, Testani JM, Ugwuowo U, Young P, Wilson FP. The Association of COVID-19 With Acute Kidney Injury Independent of Severity of Illness: A Multicenter Cohort Study. American Journal Of Kidney Diseases : The Official Journal Of The National Kidney Foundation 2021, 77: 490-499.e1. PMID: 33422598, PMCID: PMC7791318, DOI: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2020.12.007.
  • Association of T Cell-Derived Inflammatory Cytokines With Acute Kidney Injury and Mortality After Cardiac Surgery.Moledina DG, Mansour SG, Jia Y, Obeid W, Thiessen-Philbrook H, Koyner JL, McArthur E, Garg AX, Wilson FP, Shlipak MG, Coca SG, Parikh CR. Association of T Cell-Derived Inflammatory Cytokines With Acute Kidney Injury and Mortality After Cardiac Surgery. Kidney International Reports 2019, 4: 1689-1697. PMID: 31844805, PMCID: PMC6895592, DOI: 10.1016/j.ekir.2019.09.003.
  • Phenotyping of Acute Kidney Injury: Beyond Serum Creatinine.Moledina DG, Parikh CR. Phenotyping of Acute Kidney Injury: Beyond Serum Creatinine. Seminars In Nephrology 2018, 38: 3-11. PMID: 29291759, PMCID: PMC5753429, DOI: 10.1016/j.semnephrol.2017.09.002.
  • A Survey of Patient Attitudes Toward Participation in Biopsy-Based Kidney Research.Moledina DG, Cheung B, Kukova L, Luciano RL, Peixoto AJ, Wilson FP, Alfano S, Parikh CR. A Survey of Patient Attitudes Toward Participation in Biopsy-Based Kidney Research. Kidney International Reports 2018, 3: 412-416. PMID: 29725645, PMCID: PMC5932306, DOI: 10.1016/j.ekir.2017.11.008.
  • Kidney Biopsy-Related Complications in Hospitalized Patients with Acute Kidney Disease.Moledina DG, Luciano RL, Kukova L, Chan L, Saha A, Nadkarni G, Alfano S, Wilson FP, Perazella MA, Parikh CR. Kidney Biopsy-Related Complications in Hospitalized Patients with Acute Kidney Disease. Clinical Journal Of The American Society Of Nephrology : CJASN 2018, 13: 1633-1640. PMID: 30348813, PMCID: PMC6237071, DOI: 10.2215/CJN.04910418.
  • Performance of Serum Creatinine and Kidney Injury Biomarkers for Diagnosing Histologic Acute Tubular Injury.Moledina DG, Hall IE, Thiessen-Philbrook H, Reese PP, Weng FL, Schröppel B, Doshi MD, Wilson FP, Coca SG, Parikh CR. Performance of Serum Creatinine and Kidney Injury Biomarkers for Diagnosing Histologic Acute Tubular Injury. American Journal Of Kidney Diseases : The Official Journal Of The National Kidney Foundation 2017, 70: 807-816. PMID: 28844586, PMCID: PMC5701867, DOI: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2017.06.031.
  • Plasma Monocyte Chemotactic Protein-1 Is Associated With Acute Kidney Injury and Death After Cardiac Operations.Moledina DG, Isguven S, McArthur E, Thiessen-Philbrook H, Garg AX, Shlipak M, Whitlock R, Kavsak PA, Coca SG, Parikh CR. Plasma Monocyte Chemotactic Protein-1 Is Associated With Acute Kidney Injury and Death After Cardiac Operations. The Annals Of Thoracic Surgery 2017, 104: 613-620. PMID: 28223055, PMCID: PMC5588689, DOI: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2016.11.036.
  • Application of new acute kidney injury biomarkers in human randomized controlled trials.Parikh CR, Moledina DG, Coca SG, Thiessen-Philbrook HR, Garg AX. Application of new acute kidney injury biomarkers in human randomized controlled trials. Kidney International 2016, 89: 1372-9. PMID: 27165835, PMCID: PMC4869991, DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2016.02.027.
  • PPIs and kidney disease: from AIN to CKD.Moledina DG, Perazella MA. PPIs and kidney disease: from AIN to CKD. Journal Of Nephrology 2016, 29: 611-6. PMID: 27072818, DOI: 10.1007/s40620-016-0309-2.
  • Association of Perioperative Plasma Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin Levels with 3-Year Mortality after Cardiac Surgery: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study.Moledina DG, Parikh CR, Garg AX, Thiessen-Philbrook H, Koyner JL, Patel UD, Devarajan P, Shlipak MG, Coca SG. Association of Perioperative Plasma Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin Levels with 3-Year Mortality after Cardiac Surgery: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study. PloS One 2015, 10: e0129619. PMID: 26053382, PMCID: PMC4460181, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129619.
  • Rationale and design of the Kidney Precision Medicine Project.de Boer IH, Alpers CE, Azeloglu EU, Balis UGJ, Barasch JM, Barisoni L, Blank KN, Bomback AS, Brown K, Dagher PC, Dighe AL, Eadon MT, El-Achkar TM, Gaut JP, Hacohen N, He Y, Hodgin JB, Jain S, Kellum JA, Kiryluk K, Knight R, Laszik ZG, Lienczewski C, Mariani LH, McClelland RL, Menez S, Moledina DG, Mooney SD, O'Toole JF, Palevsky PM, Parikh CR, Poggio ED, Rosas SE, Rosengart MR, Sarwal MM, Schaub JA, Sedor JR, Sharma K, Steck B, Toto RD, Troyanskaya OG, Tuttle KR, Vazquez MA, Waikar SS, Williams K, Wilson FP, Zhang K, Iyengar R, Kretzler M, Himmelfarb J. Rationale and design of the Kidney Precision Medicine Project. Kidney International 2021, 99: 498-510. PMID: 33637194, PMCID: PMC8330551, DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2020.08.039.
  • The Challenges of Acute Interstitial Nephritis: Time to Standardize.Moledina DG, Perazella MA. The Challenges of Acute Interstitial Nephritis: Time to Standardize. Kidney360 2021, 2: 1051-1055. PMID: 35373086, PMCID: PMC8791367, DOI: 10.34067/KID.0001742021.
  • Urine testing to differentiate glomerular from tubulointerstitial diseases on kidney biopsy.Tran AC, Melchinger H, Weinstein J, Shaw M, Kent C, Perazella MA, Wilson FP, Parikh CR, Moledina DG. Urine testing to differentiate glomerular from tubulointerstitial diseases on kidney biopsy. Practical Laboratory Medicine 2022, 30: e00271. PMID: 35465621, PMCID: PMC9018443, DOI: 10.1016/j.plabm.2022.e00271.
  • Immune checkpoint inhibitors and kidney disease.Wang Q, Moledina DG, Sise ME. Immune checkpoint inhibitors and kidney disease. Current Opinion In Nephrology And Hypertension 2022 PMID: 35851052, DOI: 10.1097/MNH.0000000000000805.
  • Immune-mediated tubule atrophy promotes acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease transition.Xu L, Guo J, Moledina DG, Cantley LG. Immune-mediated tubule atrophy promotes acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease transition. Nature Communications 2022, 13: 4892. PMID: 35986026, PMCID: PMC9391331, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32634-0.
  • Inhibiting calpain 1 and 2 in cyclin G associated kinase-knockout mice mitigates podocyte injury.Tian X, Inoue K, Zhang Y, Wang Y, Sperati CJ, Pedigo CE, Zhao T, Yan M, Groener M, Moledina DG, Ebenezer K, Li W, Zhang Z, Liebermann DA, Greene L, Greer P, Parikh CR, Ishibe S. Inhibiting calpain 1 and 2 in cyclin G associated kinase-knockout mice mitigates podocyte injury. JCI Insight 2020, 5 PMID: 33208557, PMCID: PMC7710277, DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.142740.
  • Electronic health record alerts for acute kidney injury: multicenter, randomized clinical trial.Wilson FP, Martin M, Yamamoto Y, Partridge C, Moreira E, Arora T, Biswas A, Feldman H, Garg AX, Greenberg JH, Hinchcliff M, Latham S, Li F, Lin H, Mansour SG, Moledina DG, Palevsky PM, Parikh CR, Simonov M, Testani J, Ugwuowo U. Electronic health record alerts for acute kidney injury: multicenter, randomized clinical trial. BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) 2021, 372: m4786. PMID: 33461986, PMCID: PMC8034420, DOI: 10.1136/bmj.m4786.
  • Urinary EGF and MCP-1 and risk of CKD after cardiac surgery.Menez S, Ju W, Menon R, Moledina DG, Thiessen Philbrook H, McArthur E, Jia Y, Obeid W, Mansour SG, Koyner JL, Shlipak MG, Coca SG, Garg AX, Bomback AS, Kellum JA, Kretzler M, Parikh CR. Urinary EGF and MCP-1 and risk of CKD after cardiac surgery. JCI Insight 2021, 6 PMID: 33974569, PMCID: PMC8262289, DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.147464.
  • Drug-Induced Acute Interstitial Nephritis.Moledina DG, Perazella MA. Drug-Induced Acute Interstitial Nephritis. Clinical Journal Of The American Society Of Nephrology : CJASN 2017, 12: 2046-2049. PMID: 28893923, PMCID: PMC5718279, DOI: 10.2215/CJN.07630717.
  • Differentiating Acute Interstitial Nephritis from Acute Tubular Injury: A Challenge for Clinicians.Moledina DG, Parikh CR. Differentiating Acute Interstitial Nephritis from Acute Tubular Injury: A Challenge for Clinicians. Nephron 2019, 143: 211-216. PMID: 31203275, PMCID: PMC6821567, DOI: 10.1159/000501207.
  • Treatment of Drug-Induced Acute Tubulointerstitial Nephritis: The Search for Better Evidence.Moledina DG, Perazella MA. Treatment of Drug-Induced Acute Tubulointerstitial Nephritis: The Search for Better Evidence. Clinical Journal Of The American Society Of Nephrology : CJASN 2018, 13: 1785-1787. PMID: 30397028, PMCID: PMC6302332, DOI: 10.2215/CJN.12001018.
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