We are based at the pathology department of Amsterdam UMC, location AMC. Our lab has 2 different focuses: nephropathology headed by Prof. Sandrine Florquin and pediatric nephrology headed by Prof. Elena Levtchenko.
We use iPSCs-derived kidney organoids to model congenital defects, for drug development, personalized medicine and to improve our understanding of kidney development, acute kidney injury, fibrosis, and chronic kidney disease.
Team leader
Alessandra Tammaro, PhD
Senior Researcher
I obtained my master in medical biotechnology in Italy and then moved to Amsterdam to start my doctoral studies at Amsterdam UMC. Since my PhD studies I have worked with in vivo and in vitro models of kidney disease. I am a senior researcher in the RIRE group and I study the role of environmental pollution on kidney development and premature renal aging. I am the project leader of the PMKidney consortium, a collaboration between the Netherlands and São Paulo (Brazil) to unravel the role of particulate matters from air pollution on kidney diseases.
My research studies are centered around molecular biology, cellular metabolism, immunology, drug intervention studies and in vivo models of premature renal aging. I use iPSCs-derived kidney organoids to (a) study the role of epithelial innate immune receptors and their metabolic response in kidney regeneration and fibrosis; (b) test novel therapeutics for renal regeneration; (c) model congenital defects observed after gestational exposure to air pollution; (d) understand the role of platelets on kidney fibrosis.
Fanny Oliveira Arcolino, PhD
Assistant Professor
I have studied Biological Sciences at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil and obtained a Master in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Bern in Switzerland. In 2016, I obtained my PhD in Biomedical Sciences at KU Leuven followed by 5 years postdoc in the field of kidney development and regenerative medicine. I have discovered that kidney stem/progenitor cells can be isolated from the urine of premature babies and these cells are a potent source for cell therapy, inducing immunomodulation and tissue regeneration.
In February 2023, I joined the Amsterdam UMC as assistant professor in the lab of pediatric nephrology at the department of pathology. The focus of my research is to unravel the potential of neonatal kidney stem/progenitor cells as models of kidney development, disease and regeneration by means of kidney organoid formation, cell therapy and personalized medicine.
At the Emma Children’s Hospital I am part of the Top Talent team at the sector plan for Personalized Medicine leading the topic of model systems for genetic/metabolic kidney disease and novel therapies.
Team members
Peiqi Sun
PhD candidate
Ukhti Rustiasari
PhD candidate
Liu Ye
PhD student
Junyu Chen
PhD student
Publications
Funding
NWO-FAPESP