Making New Kidneys: Insights into Regeneration

Description

Learn how regenerative medicine could be used to treat age-related degenerative diseases and injuries with Dr. Iain Drummond from the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (MDIBL) on Tuesday, Sept., 15 at 7 p.m. during a virtual talk with the Jesup Memorial Library and The Jackson Laboratory (JAX).
 
Dr. Drummond pioneered studies with zebrafish which discovered mechanisms of organ development, pathobiology of kidney disease and stem cell-based mechanisms of kidney regeneration. Zebrafish share about 71 percent of the human genome, in some key cases, fish genes are near-perfect matches for people. According to a 2013 study by British researchers, 82 percent of genes associated with human diseases and disorders have a zebrafish counterpart. Zebrafish also have the unique ability to regenerate certain cells that humans cannot. Dr. Drummond’s lab studies how the kidney develops, identify zebrafish genetic mutants, and determine key points of equivalence between fish and mammalian kidneys that make zebrafish a relevant model of human disease.
 
Drummond received his PhD. from the University of California. His postdoctoral work at Northwestern University Medical School and the University of Chicago focused on gene regulation in Development and Kidney Cancer. From 1996 to 2019 Dr. Drummond was an Associate Professor in Medicine and Genetics at Harvard Medical School/MGH and Director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute Kidney program. His lab established the zebrafish as a genetic system for discovering mechanisms of kidney development, disease and regeneration. Now, Dr. Drummond is Professor and Director of the Davis Center for Aging and Regeneration at the MDIBL in Bar Harbor.
 
This talk is part of the Primary Source Speaker Series, a partnership between the Jesup and JAX. The Primary Source Speaker Series presents science talks for a general audience. This series highlights current research in a trusted and comfortable setting where questions may be directed to the primary source — the research scientists and the public library.
 
Registration for this event is required to receive the link to the program. To register visit jesuplibrary.org/event/drummond and fill out the form or email kchagnon@jesuplibrary.org. For a full list of all the programs visit jesuplibrary.org/primary source.