University at Buffalo (UB)
Mark D. Parker, PhD, received a grant from the American Society of Nephrology Foundation for Kidney Research to help further his research on acidosis.
Parker Receives Award from American Society of Nephrology
Published August 20, 2015 This content is archived.
story by adrienne boudreau
Mark D. Parker, PhD, assistant professor of physiology and biophysics, has received a Carl W. Gottschalk Research Scholar Grant from the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Foundation for Kidney Research.
The award supports Parker’s research about the cause and consequence of acidosis by the sodium-bicarbonate cotransporter NBCe1.
By examining the kidney’s control of bicarbonate production, Parker aims to inform novel interventions for maintaining body pH in patients with clinical and subclinical acidosis.
Disease States Influence, Are Influenced by Acidity
Parker focuses his research on how physiological processes and disease states influence or are influenced by pH. Tightly regulated pH is critical for the body, which is constantly struggling with dietary and metabolic acids.
Some disease states and drugs limit the ability of the kidneys to supply sufficient bicarbonate to neutralize these acids, and the effect of that is acidosis. Acidosis can cause fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain and coma.
A faculty member since 2013, Parker’s lab includes Aniko Marshall, lab manager, and Evan Myers, a candidate in the physiology doctoral program.
Seeking Treatments for Kidney Diseases
The grant gives Parker’s study a total of $200,000 over a period of two years.
The ASN Foundation for Kidney Research aims to prevent and cure kidney disease through research and innovation.