Jackson Lab
Congenital urinary tract obstruction (UTO) is a leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children. Beyond surgery to relieve the obstruction, no targeted therapies are available to prevent or limit progressive kidney injury. Individuals with a history of childhood UTO also remain at increased risk for CKD later in life, highlighting the need for therapies that protect the kidney and preserve long-term function.
The Jackson Lab uses genetically modified mouse models of congenital and acquired UTO to investigate how the kidney responds to obstruction. We discovered a renoprotective remodeling response within the renal urothelium and developed novel kidney urothelium-derived organoids (KUDOs) to study the signals that initiate this response and drive urothelial differentiation. We are now using patient-derived organoids and specimens to translate our discoveries and work toward developing therapies that protect the obstructed kidney.
Featured Publications
- El-Harakeh M, Rodriguez-Tirado F, Hardman AJ, Miehls A, Camara O, Grounds KM, Tocaj G, Kercsmar M, Li B, Wang X, Becknell B, Jackson AR. PPARγ promotes urothelial remodeling during urinary tract obstruction. Exp Mol Med. 2025 May;57(5):950-963. doi: 10.1038/s12276-025-01441-0. Epub 2025 May 1. PubMed PMID: 40307567; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12130184.
- Jackson AR, Amado NG, Mann N, Schanstra JP, Ruano R, Mohamed T, Lee RS, Lorenzo A, McLeod D, Becknell B. Advancing the state of the art in congenital obstructive uropathy. Nat Rev Urol. 2025 May;22(5):249-250. doi: 10.1038/s41585-024-00976-7. PubMed PMID: 39613986; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12064388.
- Jackson AR, Gupta S, Kercsmar M, Froehlich JW, Lee RS, Becknell B, Ching CB. Urothelial protein expression in pediatric patients with ureteropelvic junction obstruction. Pediatr Nephrol. 2026 Jul 10;. doi: 10.1007/s00467-026-07466-5. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 42429969.
- Becknell B, El-Harakeh M, Rodriguez-Tirado F, Grounds KM, Li B, Kercsmar M, Wang X, Jackson AR. Keratin 5 basal cells are temporally regulated developmental and tissue repair progenitors in bladder urothelium. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2024 Jun 1;326(6):F1078-F1090. doi: 10.1152/ajprenal.00378.2023. Epub 2024 Apr 18. PubMed PMID: 38634130; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11386981.
- Jackson AR, Li B, Cohen SH, Ching CB, McHugh KM, Becknell B. The uroplakin plaque promotes renal structural integrity during congenital and acquired urinary tract obstruction. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol.2018 Oct 1;315(4):F1019-F1031. doi: 10.1152/ajprenal.00173.2018. Epub 2018 Jun 13. PubMed PMID: 29897287; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6230727.
Our Projects
The Jackson lab uses powerful pre-clinical models, cutting-edge organoid models and transcriptomics to investigate programs governing renal urothelium remodeling. These efforts form the foundation for the development of novel therapies that may mitigate obstructive kidney disease.
- PIEZO1: Sensing Mechanical Stress During Urinary Tract Obstruction
- PPARγ: Promoting Urothelial Differentiation and Kidney Protection
- NOTCH: Maintaining Urothelial Identity and Homeostasis
- Human Relevance: Patient-Derived Specimens and Translational Models
Ongoing Research Support
| Funding | Research | Role |
|---|---|---|
| K01-DK-126991 | Defining the renal urothelium progenitor and its regulation during development and repair | Principal Investigator |
| R01-DK-147092 | Mechanisms by Which the Renal Urothelium Senses and Responds to Urinary Tract Obstruction and Mitigates Obstructive Nephropathy | Principal Investigator |
| 2026 KidneyCure ASN Carl W. Gottschalk Research Scholar Grant | Do Urothelial Mechanoreceptors Trigger Nephroprotective Adaptations? | Principal Investigator |
| R25-DK-126639 | Nephrology & Urology Summer Research Program | Principal Investigator (MPI) |
| R01-DK-125469 | Novel roles for urothelium during urinary tract obstruction | Co-Investigator |
| R01-DK-127589 | Prune Belly Syndrome: Mechanisms of Filamin A Mutations | Co-Investigator |
| R01-DK-128088 | Insulin Signaling Activates Urothelial Defenses to Reduce Urinary Tract Infection Susceptibility | Co-Investigator |
| T35-DK-129192 | Student Urinary Tract Program in Education and Research (SUPER) Summer Training Program | Collaborator |
| K08 ES-034821 | Bladders and biomes: Environmental compounds as modifiers of microbiomes, metabolomes, and urothelium | Collaborator |
Join Our Team!
The Jackson Lab is growing. If you are interested in joining our team as a gap year trainee, research intern, research assistant, etc., please send a cover letter and a CV/Resume to Ashley.Jackson@NationwideChildrens.org.
