THE AIRIK LAB For the Investigation of Causes of Acute Kidney Injury and Chronic Kidney Disease

Developing an Improved Understanding of Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms

The laboratory of Rannar Airik, PhD focuses on identifying the genetic and molecular mechanisms of acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease that may be targetable by therapy. Our work bridges fundamental molecular biology with translational science, seeking to uncover the pathways that govern tubular health and failure in human kidney disease. We use transgenic animal models and in vivo kidney injury modeling to identify the genetic and molecular mechanisms that drive kidney disease.

Acute Kidney Injury

Acute kidney injury is characterized by a sudden and rapid decline in kidney function, most commonly triggered by events such as reduced blood flow to the kidneys or exposure to toxic substances. While kidney tissue retains some capacity for repair, incomplete or maladaptive repair frequently sets the stage for long-term damage. Understanding why some kidneys recover fully while others do not is a central question guiding our research. The Airik Lab investigates the molecular signals and cellular responses that determine the outcome of acute kidney injury, with particular attention to the pathways that, when perturbed, tip the balance from recovery toward progressive deterioration.

Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease is a devastating condition that affects a growing number of people in the world. It is defined by a slow, progressive loss of kidney function over months or years, often going undetected until significant damage has already occurred. In its advanced stages, it leaves individuals dependent on dialysis or in need of a kidney transplant for survival. The Airik Lab has demonstrated that impairment of the DNA damage response in the kidney tubular epithelium plays a critical role in this process. When the mechanisms that normally detect and repair DNA damage in tubular cells are compromised, the result is tubular injury that triggers a cascade of fibrotic changes throughout the kidney - a process of scarring that steadily erodes kidney function. Investigating the role of the DNA damage response pathways in normal tubular maintenance and understanding how its deficiency drives chronic kidney pathology is a high priority of our work.

The Airik Lab - Combining molecular science with translational medicine to improve outcomes for kidney disease patients.

Rannar Airik, PhD

Principal Investigator
rannar.airik@chp.edu
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Merlin Airik, PhD
Post-doctoral Fellow

Contact Us

The Airik Lab
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
John G. Rangos Sr. Research Center
4401 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
412-692-6229

JP4-039 Mitigates Cisplatin-Induced Acute Kidney Injury by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Blocking Apoptosis and Ferroptosis in Mice.
Airik M, Clayton K, Wipf P, Airik R.
Antioxidants (Basel)
2024 PMID: 39765862

Endothelial cells drive organ fibrosis in mice by inducing expression of the transcription factor SOX9.
Trogisch FA, Abouissa A, Keles M, Birke A, Fuhrmann M, Dittrich GM, Weinzierl N, Wink E, Cordero J, Elsherbiny A, Martin-Garrido A, Grein S, Hemanna S, Hofmann E, Nicin L, Bibli SI, Airik R, Kispert A, Kist R, Quanchao S, Kürschner SW, Winkler M, Gretz N, Mogler C, Korff T, Koch PS, Dimmeler S, Dobreva G, Heineke J.
Science Translational Medicine
2024 PMID: 38416842

Premature aging and reduced cancer incidence associated with near-complete body-wide Myc inactivation.
Wang H, Lu J, Stevens T, Roberts A, Mandel J, Avula R, Ma B, Wu Y, Wang J, Land CV, Finkel T, Vockley JE, Airik M, Airik R, Muzumdar R, Gong Z, Torbenson MS, Prochownik EV.
Cell Reports
2023 PMID: 37481724

Mitochondrial ROS Triggers KIN Pathogenesis in FAN1-Deficient Kidneys.
Airik M, Arbore H, Childs E, Huynh AB, Phua YL, Chen CW, Aird K, Bharathi S, Zhang B, Conlon P, Kmoch S, Kidd K, Bleyer AJ, Vockley J, Goetzman E, Wipf P, Airik R.
Antioxidants (Basel)
2023 PMID: 37107275

Persistent DNA damage underlies tubular cell polyploidization and progression to chronic kidney disease in kidneys deficient in the DNA repair protein FAN1.
Airik M, Phua YL, Huynh AB, McCourt BT, Rush BM, Tan RJ, Vockley J, Murray SL, Dorman A, Conlon PJ, Airik R.
Kidney International
2022 PMID: 35931300

Mitigation of portal fibrosis and cholestatic liver disease in ANKS6-deficient livers by macrophage depletion.
Airik M, McCourt B, Ozturk TT, Huynh AB, Zhang X, Tometich JT, Topaloglu R, Ozen H, Orhan D, Nejak-Bowen K, Monga SP, Hand TW, Ozaltin F, Airik R.
FASEB Journal
2022 PMID: 35032404

We’d Like to Hear From You!

The Airik Lab is always welcoming applications from enthusiastic students or post-docs looking to work with us. For more information, please contact Dr. Airik via email.