Research Summary:

Urine PCR technique has been used to quantify molecular markers associated with pathologic processes. In particular, quantitative measurement of granzyme B and perforin has been used to aid on diagnosis of acute cellular rejection in renal transplant patients. This technique has the potential to be used in the clinical practice to diagnose a wide range of renal diseases, in transplant kidney as well as native kidney and will contribute to our understanding of disease mechanisms. Islet cell transplantation is being developed as one of treatment for type 1DM. It offers the opportunity for future researches involving gene manipulations and establishment of immunotolerance.

Link to PubMed Citations

Selected Publications:

J.M. Park and F.L. Luan. Management of hypertension in solid organ transplantation. Progress in Transplantation 15:17-22, 2005.

DJ Boffa, F.L. Luan, D. Thomas, H. Yang, VK. Sharma, M. Lagman, and M. Suthanthiran. Rapamycin inhibits the growth and metastatic progression of non-small cell lung cancer. Clin. Cancer Res., 10,293-300, 2004.

F.L. Luan, R. Ding, V.Sharma, W.J.Chon, M., Lagman and M. Suthanthiran. Rapamycin is an effective inhibitor of human renal cancer metastasis. Kidney Int. 63:917-926, 2003.

F.L. Luan. Letter to editor. Kidney transplantation from donors without a heartbeat. N Eng. J Med. 347(22):1800; 2002.

F.L. Luan, M. Hojo, M. Maluccio, K. Yamaji and M. Suthanthiran. Rapamycin blocks tumor progession: unlinking immunosuppression from antitumor efficacy. Transplantation 73(10), 1565-1572, 2002.

F.L. Luan, R. Ding, V. Sharma and M. Suthanthiran. Rapamycin inhibits metastatic progression of human renal cancer. Poster presentation at ASN, Oct. 30- Nov. 4, 2002, Philadelphia, PA, USA . JASN 13:504A, 2002.

D.J. Boffa, F.L. Luan, H. Yang, D. Thomas, V.K. Sharma, M. Lagman, M. Hojo and M. Suthanthiran. Rapamycin inhibits growth of non small cell lung cancer in-vivo. Poster presentation at American Transplant Congress 2002. Am. J. Transplantation S3 (2): 221, 2002.

F.L. Luan, M. Hojo, M. Maluccio, K. Yamaji and M. Suthanthiran. Rapamycin upregulates the expression of tumor invasion suppressor E-cadherin. Poster presentation at American Transplant Congress 2002. Am. J. Transplantation S3 (2): 324, 2002.

F.L. Luan, V. Sharma, R. Ding, B. Li and M Suthanthiran. Differential regulation of activation dependent cell death by calcineurin inhibitors and mTOR inhibitor. Poster presentation at American Transplant Congress 2002. Am. J. Transplantation S3 (2): 441, 2002.

F.L. Luan, M. Maluccio, M. Hojo, K. Yamaji and M. Suthanthiran. Sirolimus prevents calcineurin inhibition associated tumor progression. Poster presentation at ASN/ISN World Congress of Nephrology, Oct. 10-17, 2001, San Francisco, California, USA . JASN 12:938A, 2001.

F.L. Luan, M Maluccio, VK. Sharma, M. Hojo, M. Lagman and M. Suthanthiran. Sirolimus prevents tumor progression: mTOR targeting for the inhibition of neoplastic progression. Oral presentation at American Transplant Congress 2001. Am. J. Transplantation Vol 1(S1). 243; 2001.