Understanding impact of cancer on kidney physiology

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Cancer-associated kidney disorders are one of the most common forms of systemic disease known in cancer patients. Association of kidney disorders not only aggravates the suffering but also hinder the ongoing chemotherapy in the patients. I work with Drosophila renal system, which consists of two tissues, namely “nephrocytes”—a primitive type of filtration component—and “Malpighian tubules”—a secretion based tubular system. These two components together function as a single unit called ‘nephron’ in the mammalian kidney.   My objectives are as follows: 

1. To model and understand cancer-associated renal disorders in the Drosophila tumor models.

2. Identification of key molecular signals associated with cancer tissue as well as renal tissue involved in development of such disorders in the host.

3. Identification of novel ‘druggable targets’ that can be used in parallel to chemotherapy to suppress these disorders.

4. Understanding host genetics that involve in enhancing/suppressing these disorders in cancer patients.