Monica Chang-Panesso, MD

2025 Carl W. Gottschalk Research Scholar Grant

Institution: Washington University in St. Louis

Project Title: Elucidating the role of metabolic reprogramming in the repair capacity of the aged kidney.

How would you sum up your overall research focus in one sentence?

My research goal is to identify molecular pathways to enhance renal recovery with a special focus in the aged kidney.

Provide a brief overview of the research you will conduct with help from the grant.

We performed transcriptional profiling of injured proximal tubular epithelial cells in aged mice and identified differences in the gene expression of genes related to metabolism in old vs. young injured tubular epithelial cells. Therefore, the purpose of this proposal is to study the metabolic response of the aged kidneys to injury.

What inspired you to focus your research in this area?

Observing the growing elderly population in my clinical practice and that clinical studies have highlighted that elderly patients are at higher risk of worse outcomes after an episode of acute kidney injury (AKI) including development of chronic kidney disease or death, my research focus is trying to understand how the repair response after an episode of AKI differs with aging.

What impact do you hope your research will have on patients?

I hope to be able to identify molecular mechanisms and targets to make the aged kidney more resilient during an episode of injury.

What are your career goals at the end of the grant period? Five years out? Ten years out?

I hope that by the end of the grant period, I will have secure independent funding based on findings from this proposal. Long-term, I hope to contribute to the understanding of kidney injury and repair to develop therapies to improve patient outcomes.

What has surprised you most about your career?

From an early age and while living in Colombia, I knew that I wanted to be a physician, but I did not know it was possible to be a physician and a scientist at the same time; therefore, I envisioned myself as a full-time clinician. During my clinical training, I got the opportunity to learn about basic science research and I decided that I wanted to combine both research and clinical practice.

In one sentence, please describe the importance of having grant funding available through KidneyCure.

The KidneyCure grant represents an immense support to continue my research as a bridge from K award to independent funding.

Something you may not know about me is…

During medical school, I was initially interested in becoming a surgeon, but my career choice changed. In the end I did became a surgeon…a mouse surgeon.

In my free time, I like to…

Spend time with my family and watch movies.