Kerlin Lab
The Kerlin Lab aims to discover new approaches to prevent and treat thrombosis. Thrombosis is an emerging crisis in pediatrics that now complicates over 1% of all pediatric hospitalizations and is associated with 7% mortality. Moreover, thrombosis (including heart attack, stroke and venous thromboembolism) is the leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide. Nearly 80% of pediatric thrombosis is caused by venous catheters that are needed to care for hospitalized children. Thrombosis is the leading cause of death in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) which is often caused by glomerular diseases that develop during childhood.
Our research focuses on defining the mechanisms by which venous catheters and glomerular diseases increase thrombosis risk. We have also discovered that some proteins involved in thrombosis are key drivers of glomerular disease progression. Better understanding of these mechanisms is expected to inform the development of novel therapies that could prevent pediatric thrombotic disease and slow or halt progression of kidney disease and thereby prevent the need for dialysis or kidney transplantation.
