Grant: Operating Grant

The kidney is our body's filter that ensures we get rid of all waste products, while retaining vital components. One vital molecule is bicarbonate, which we must retain to compensate for the acid produced while processing food. Inside the kidney, a specialized pump ensures bicarbonate reabsorption. Some people are unable to properly retain this precious bicarbonate because the bicarbonate pump in their kidney is not working properly, thus bicarbonate is expelled instead of reabsorbed. As a result, these children and adults produce kidney stones, experiencing difficulties to thrive, and developing bone disease. Our goal is to understand why these specialized pumps do not function properly, with the aim to further develop strategies to better the lives of these patients. We can study these defective bicarbonate pumps in cells, which behave just like those in our kidney to determine if the disease appears because these dysfunctioning pumps are targeted to the wrong place or because they are unable to function properly in these cells. Our studies will tell us how these pumps work in our body to keep us healthy and how defective pumps cause kidney diseases.