Lab: 325 Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute
Office: 310 Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute
Phone: 614-293-0405
sethu.madhavan@osumc.edu

Sethu MadhavenI received residency and fellowship training in the Physican Sceintist Training Program (PSTP) in Nephrology at MetroHealth/Case Western Reserve University. After my fellowship training, I joined as a faculty at the MetroHealth System from 2013-2018 and then joined OSU in 2018 in the Division of Nephrology. I am interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of kidney chronic kidney disease pathogenesis and progression, particularly in the context of glomerular diseases.

My research over the past decade has focused on understanding the mechanisms by which variants in the APOL1 gene mediate the pathogenesis of CKD. Currently, my lab uses cultured immortalized human podocytes, human kidney biopsies, and transgenic mouse models to understand the mechanisms of APOL1 variant-mediated kidney disease. My laboratory is well equipped with state-of-the-art technology, and I have developed a collaborative approach to perform the proposed experiments..

My research is now focused on understanding how APOL1 variant proteins cause podocyte dysfunction by causing peroxisomal stress and developing therapeutic targets to mitigate APOL1 variant-associated CKD.

Education and Training

  • Internal Medicine Residency (Physician Scientist Training Program), MetroHealth, Cleveland, OH
  • Nephrology Fellowship (Physician Scientist Training Program), Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

Research Interests

  • Molecular mechanisms of chronic kidney disease
  • APOL1-mediated kidney disease
  • Podocyte biology

Active Funding

  • K08 Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award, NIDDK 05/01/2020 – 04/30/2025
  • DK123411, Sethu Madhavan, PI
  • Project Title: “Apolipoprotein L1 Interaction with SNARE Proteins in the Pathogenesis of Chronic Kidney Disease”

Selected Publications

Kim JH, Mukherjee A, Madhavan SM, Konieczkowski M, Sedor J. WT1-interacting protein (Wtip) regulates podocyte phenotype by cell-cell and cell-matrix contact reorganization. Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 302:F103-15, 2011. PMC3251346.

Bruggeman LA, O'Toole JF, Ross MD, Madhavan SM, Smurzynski M, Bosch RJ, Gupta S, Pollak MR, Sedor JR, Kalayjian RC. Plasma Apolipoprotein L1 Levels Do Not Correlate with CKD. J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 25:6343-633, 2014. PMC3935593.

Bruggeman LA, Wu Z, Luo L, Madhavan SM, Konieczkowski M, O'Teirney-Ginn P, Drawz PE, Barisoni L, Sedor JR, O'Toole JF. Mice Expressing APOL1 or variant G2 Develop preeclampsia but not Glomerulosclerosis. J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 25:6343-633, 2014. PMC3935593.

Madhavan SM, O’Toole JF, Konieczkowski, Barisoni L, Thomas DB, Ganesan S, Bruggeman LA, Buck M, Sedor JR. APOL1 variants change C-terminal conformational dynamics and binding to SNARE protein VAMP8. JCI Insight. 2:e92581, 2017. PMC5518555.

O'Toole JF, Schilling W, Kunze D, Madhavan SM, Konieczkowski M, Gu Y, Luo L, Wu Z, Bruggeman LA, Sedor JR. Apolipoprotein L1 overexpression drives variant-independent cytotoxicity via pH-sensitive cation channel. J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 29:869-879, 2018.

Bruggeman LA, Wu Z, Luo L, Madhavan SM, Drawz PE, Thomas DB, Barisoni L, O’Toole JF, Sedor JR. APOL1-G0 protects podocytes in a mouse model of HIV-associated nephropathy. PLoS One. 14:e0224408, 2019.

Blessing NA, Wu Z, Madhavan SM, Choy JW, Chen M, Shin MK, Hoek M, Sedor JR, O’Toole JF, Bruggeman LA. Lack of APOL1 in proximal tubules of normal human kidneys and proteinuric APOL1 transgenic mouse kidneys. PLoS One,16:e0253197, 2021. PMC8211208.

Madhavan SM, Konieczkowski M, DeWalt ME, Bruggeman LA, Nguyen JH, O’Toole JF, Sedor JR. Essential role of Wtip in mouse development and maintenance of the glomerular filtration barrier. Am J Physiol, Renal Physiology, 323:F272-F287,2022. PMID:35862649.

Parikh SV, Madhavan SM, Shapiro J, Knight R, Rosenberg A, Parikh C, Rovin B, Menez S. Kidney prostaglanding synthesis alterations in a case of NSAID-induced Acute kidney injury: A clinical pathologic molecular correlation. Clin. J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 18(3):402-410,2023. PMID:36344211

Kim JY, Silvaroli JA, Martinez GV, Bisunke B, Luna Ramirez AV, Jayne LA, Feng MJHH, Girotra B, Acosta Martinez SM, Vermillion CR, Karel IZ, Ferrell N, Weisleder N, Chung S, Christman JW, Brooks CR, Madhavan SM, Hoyt KR, Cianciolo RE, Satoskar AA, Zepeda-Orozco D, Sullivan JC, Davidson AJ, Bajwa A, Pabla NS. Zinc finger protein 24-dependent transcription factor SOX9 up-regulation protects tubular epithelial cells during acute kidney injury. Kidney International, 2023