Welcome to the Attanasio Lab
My laboratory combines human and mouse genetics to understand the molecular mechanisms that determine different types of kidney diseases.
We apply several techniques to identify disease-causing genetic mutations in nuclear families (linkage analysis, homozygosity mapping and next generation sequencing) or in unrelated individuals from selected populations (rare variants association studies). This approach has led to the identification of mutations in the gene GLIS2 as the cause of a rare kidney disease, called nephronophthisis, and in the gene DGKE, causing a familial form of glomerular disease (thrombotic microangiopathy/atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome).
Identifying disease-causing genetic mutations is extremely powerful, because allows us to pinpoint the single causal event responsible of the disease and to disentangle the complex chain of events that characterize its evolution. To do this, we manipulate the corresponding genes in mice to explore the molecular mechanisms that determine the disease in the attempt to identify potential therapies.
Massimo Attanasio, MD
Adjunct Associate Professor
Department of Internal Medicine