Prof. Dr. med. Britta George

Area of Research

Description of Research Interest

We focus on diseases of the kidney glomerulus, particular on podocytopathies.

• Theme 1: Minimal Change Disease is characterized by nephrotic syndrome. For many patients, pathogenic antibodies against the slit-diaphragm protein Nephrin were identified in blood and biopsy samples, thereby classifying anti-Nephrin antibody-positive MCD as an autoimmune podocytopathy. Our goal is to identify and understand these pathomechanisms and translate to clinical applications. We combine omics approaches of biobank tissue and murine models with data from the Drosophila melanogaster in vivo nephrocyte model and mechanistic studies in cell culture. 
  
• Theme 2: Identification of more than 30 monogenic causes of steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) has revealed the glomerular podocyte as the center of action in the pathogenesis of SRNS and has been highly instructive in understanding functional pathways that are essential for glomerular filter function. Loss of function mutations in NPHS1 or NPHS2 cause congenital nephrotic syndrome and lead to the necessity of renal replacement therapy within the first year of life. We investigate pathomechanisms of SRNS caused by variants in the genes NPHS1 and NPHS2 encoding the slit-diaphragm proteins Nephrin and Podocin. We dissect disease mechanisms using cell culture, Drosophila and murine models.
  

Special Expertise

• Glomerular diseases
  
• Kidney transplant
  
• Genetic kidney diseases
  

Shareable Platforms, Services, Equipment & Infrastructure

• Drosophila as a model system
  

Member of Collaborative/interdisciplinary Research Consortia