Disrupted Circadian Clocks in the Kidney: A Hidden Link Between Injury and Heart Disease
Location
Alan B. Levan NSU Broward Center of Innovation; Orbit 2
Start Date
4-2-2026 12:00 PM
End Date
4-2-2026 12:50 PM
Description
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a sudden loss of kidney function that can increase the risk of heart disease, even after the kidneys seem to recover. But why does this happen? One possible clue lies in the body’s internal clock, or circadian rhythm, which helps regulate many biological processes, including heart and kidney function.
In our study, we used a special type of mouse that glows in response to circadian activity, allowing us to track how the body’s clock behaves after AKI. Twelve weeks after injury, we found signs of damage in the heart’s blood vessels, similar to early-stage heart disease. Surprisingly, this damage wasn’t linked to high blood pressure, cholesterol, or long-term kidney failure.
Instead, we discovered that AKI disrupts the circadian rhythms in different parts of the kidney, weakening the rhythm in the inner medulla while strengthening it in the cortex. Other organs kept their normal rhythms. These findings suggest that kidney injury may trigger heart disease by disturbing the kidney’s internal clock, pointing to a new potential target for treatment.
About the Presenter
Bio: Dr. Lauren Douma is a Research Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the College of Medicine at the University of Florida. Trained in biochemistry, genetics, and physiology, she takes an interdisciplinary approach to her research focusing on the regulation of gene expression and its effect on overall homeostasis. For her Ph.D. in Genetics and Genomics (2016), she focused on the mechanisms of DNA replication and repair proteins in Dr. Linda Bloom’s laboratory within the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at the University of Florida. This research sparked her interest in the timing of cellular processes relative to the whole body. As an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellow, she worked on circadian clock regulation of kidney gene expression in the laboratory of Dr. Michelle Gumz in the Department of Physiology and Aging at the University of Florida. Building upon her training in biochemistry and genetics, she incorporated physiology to connect the mechanisms of circadian clock transcription factors to the maintenance of blood pressure rhythms in both a sex- and tissue-specific manner. She is further exploring how circadian clock function changes with age and if circadian-based interventions can alter these age-related changes. Dr. Douma is also passionate about science education. Her primary teaching role is overseeing and teaching in BCH4024 – Introduction to Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, which has a yearly
enrollment of ~1500 students. In conjunction with this course, she manages the largest Supplementary Instruction (SI) Program at the University of Florida. The SI Program comprises motivated and supportive undergraduate students who performed well in BCH4024 and became SI Leaders to tutor current students in the course. She believes science is for everyone. It inspires creativity, critical thinking, and curiosity about the world around us. In her spare time, Dr. Douma loves reading fantasy books, playing with her dog, and trying new foods!
Disrupted Circadian Clocks in the Kidney: A Hidden Link Between Injury and Heart Disease
Alan B. Levan NSU Broward Center of Innovation; Orbit 2
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a sudden loss of kidney function that can increase the risk of heart disease, even after the kidneys seem to recover. But why does this happen? One possible clue lies in the body’s internal clock, or circadian rhythm, which helps regulate many biological processes, including heart and kidney function.
In our study, we used a special type of mouse that glows in response to circadian activity, allowing us to track how the body’s clock behaves after AKI. Twelve weeks after injury, we found signs of damage in the heart’s blood vessels, similar to early-stage heart disease. Surprisingly, this damage wasn’t linked to high blood pressure, cholesterol, or long-term kidney failure.
Instead, we discovered that AKI disrupts the circadian rhythms in different parts of the kidney, weakening the rhythm in the inner medulla while strengthening it in the cortex. Other organs kept their normal rhythms. These findings suggest that kidney injury may trigger heart disease by disturbing the kidney’s internal clock, pointing to a new potential target for treatment.
About the Presenter
Bio: Dr. Lauren Douma is a Research Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the College of Medicine at the University of Florida. Trained in biochemistry, genetics, and physiology, she takes an interdisciplinary approach to her research focusing on the regulation of gene expression and its effect on overall homeostasis. For her Ph.D. in Genetics and Genomics (2016), she focused on the mechanisms of DNA replication and repair proteins in Dr. Linda Bloom’s laboratory within the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at the University of Florida. This research sparked her interest in the timing of cellular processes relative to the whole body. As an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellow, she worked on circadian clock regulation of kidney gene expression in the laboratory of Dr. Michelle Gumz in the Department of Physiology and Aging at the University of Florida. Building upon her training in biochemistry and genetics, she incorporated physiology to connect the mechanisms of circadian clock transcription factors to the maintenance of blood pressure rhythms in both a sex- and tissue-specific manner. She is further exploring how circadian clock function changes with age and if circadian-based interventions can alter these age-related changes. Dr. Douma is also passionate about science education. Her primary teaching role is overseeing and teaching in BCH4024 – Introduction to Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, which has a yearly
enrollment of ~1500 students. In conjunction with this course, she manages the largest Supplementary Instruction (SI) Program at the University of Florida. The SI Program comprises motivated and supportive undergraduate students who performed well in BCH4024 and became SI Leaders to tutor current students in the course. She believes science is for everyone. It inspires creativity, critical thinking, and curiosity about the world around us. In her spare time, Dr. Douma loves reading fantasy books, playing with her dog, and trying new foods!