Laboratory for the Study of Kidney Malignancies

The Laboratory for the Study of Kidney Malignancies is administratively managed by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

The Laboratory for the Study of Kidney Malignancies, led by NCI Director Dr. W. Kimryn Rathmell, has used molecular and cellular techniques to understand the key drivers of kidney cancers, with the goal to create knowledge that will enable optimal prevention strategies or treatment approaches for patients with kidney cancer. This study has revealed novel biomarkers, innovations in treatment, and revised definitions of the diseases.

Our laboratory carries out high-impact research in the areas of tumor initiation in the kidney, disease progression, and response to treatment. The facility applies molecular, cellular, immunological, and biophysical approaches and uses high-throughput sequencing, including single-cell analysis, tissue imaging, and mass spectroscopy.

Staff

• Erin Jennings, Ph.D., M.L.S.
• Will Becker, Ph.D.

Research Interests

Metabolic Adaptations and Vulnerabilities in Kidney Cancers

Our laboratory is interested in understanding kidney cancers as metabolic diseases and examining the relationship to metabolic properties of the normal kidney. A number of key metabolic pathways are implicated in various types of cancers arising in the kidney, and we are examining this feature as a potential avenue to characterize or effectively manage these tumors.

Immune Microenvironment Interactions in Regulating Tumor Growth

Several subtypes of kidney cancer show response to immunotherapy. Opportunities for immune modulation to be used to address kidney tumors is a major goal of our research. We are interested in features of the immune response, as well as factors that blunt or enhance the immune cell function.

Select Publications

Wolf MM, Madden MZ, Arner EN, Bader JE, Ye X, Vlach L, Tigue ML, Landis MD, Jonker PB, Hatem Z, Steiner KK, Gaines DK, Reinfeld BI, Hathaway ES, Xin F, Tantawy MN, Haake SM, Jonasch E, Muir A, Weiss VL, Beckermann KE, Rathmell WK, Rathmell JC. VHL loss reprograms the immune landscape to promote an inflammatory myeloid microenvironment in renal tumorigenesis. Journal of Clinical Investigation 2024 Apr 15; 134(8):e173934. [PubMed Abstract]

Bader JE, Wolf MM, Lupica-Tondo GL, Madden MZ, Reinfeld BI, Arner EN, Hathaway ES, Steiner KK, Needle GA, Hatem Z, Landis MD, Faneuff EE, Blackman A, Wolf EM, Cottam MA, Ye X, Bates ME, Smart K, Wang W, Pinheiro LV, Christofides A, Smith D, Boussiotis VA, Haake SM, Beckermann KE, Wellen KE, Reinhart-King CA, Serezani CH, Lee CH, Aubrey C, Chen H, Rathmell WK, Hasty AH, Rathmell JC. Author Correction: Obesity induces PD-1 on macrophages to suppress anti-tumour immunity. Nature 2024 Jul; 631(8022):E16. [PubMed Abstract]

Bacigalupa ZA, Arner EN, Vlach LM, Wolf MM, Brown WA, Krystofiak ES, Ye X, Hongo RA, Landis M, Amason EK, Beckermann KE, Rathmell WK, Rathmell JC. HIF-2ɑ expression and metabolic signaling require ACSS2 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Journal of Clinical Investigation 2024 Jun 17; 134(12):e164249. [PubMed Abstract]

Abbott KL, Ali A, Reinfeld BI, Deik A, Subudhi S, Landis MD, Hongo RA, Young KL, Kunchok T, Nabel CS, Crowder KD, Kent JR, Madariaga MLL, Jain RK, Beckermann KE, Lewis CA, Clish CB, Muir A, Rathmell WK, Rathmell J, Vander Heiden MG. Metabolite profiling of human renal cell carcinoma reveals tissue-origin dominance in nutrient availability. Elife 2024 May 24; 13:RP95652. [PubMed Abstract]

Mason FM, Kounlavong ES, Tebeje AT, Dahiya R, Guess T, Khan A, Vlach L, Norris SR, Lovejoy CA, Dere R, Strahl BD, Ohi R, Ly P, Walker CL, Rathmell WK. SETD2 safeguards the genome against isochromosome formation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2023 Sep 26; 120(39):e2303752120. [PubMed Abstract]

Reinfeld BI, Madden MZ, Wolf MM, Chytil A, Bader JE, Patterson AR, Sugiura A, Cohen AS, Ali A, Do BT, Muir A, Lewis CA, Hongo RA, Young KL, Brown RE, Todd VM, Huffstater T, Abraham A, O'Neil RT, Wilson MH, Xin F, Tantawy MN, Merryman WD, Johnson RW, Williams CS, Mason EF, Mason FM, Beckermann KE, Vander Heiden MG, Manning HC, Rathmell JC, Rathmell WK. Cell-programmed nutrient partitioning in the tumour microenvironment. Nature 2021 May; 593(7858):282–288. [PubMed Abstract]