UR Medicine Faculty
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(URMFG) consists of over 900 specialist and primary care providers spanning 19
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Dr. Le is Professor of Medicine, and Chief of the Division of Nephrology. Her clinical practice focuses on the care of patients with hypertension and chronic kidney disease. She applies her knowledge and extensive research experience in renal physiology to her clinical practice. She has an active...
Dr. Le is Professor of Medicine, and Chief of the Division of Nephrology. Her clinical practice focuses on the care of patients with hypertension and chronic kidney disease. She applies her knowledge and extensive research experience in renal physiology to her clinical practice. She has an active research program in mechanisms of hypertension and genetics of chronic kidney disease using mouse models, and is also conducting an NIH funded clinical trial in chronic kidney disease.
Faculty Appointments
Professor
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Department of Medicine, Nephrology (SMD)
John J. Kuiper Distinguished Professorship
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Department of Medicine, Nephrology (SMD)
Chief
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Department of Medicine, Nephrology (SMD)
Credentials
Residency & Fellowship
Fellowship, Nephrology, Duke Graduate Medical Education. 1996 - 2000
Residency, Internal Medicine, Duke Graduate Medical Education. 1993 - 1996
Education
MD | George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences.1993
Research
Scientific Approach: My laboratory studies renal mechanisms of hypertension and genetic determinants of susceptibility to kidney disease progression. We use the mouse as a model system, and translate our findings in human cohorts.
Role of GSTM1 deficiency in chronic kidney disease progress...
Scientific Approach: My laboratory studies renal mechanisms of hypertension and genetic determinants of susceptibility to kidney disease progression. We use the mouse as a model system, and translate our findings in human cohorts.
Role of GSTM1 deficiency in chronic kidney disease progression: Using classical genetic studies, my lab identified that Gstm1 is a candidate gene for renal vascular remodeling in a mouse model. Through translational studies, we reported that the null allele of GSTM1 gene is associated with accelerated kidney disease progression in the African American Study of Hypertension and Kidney Disease (AASK) Trial participants; and this was replicated in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort in both European and African Americans. To establish causality, we showed that deletion of Gstm1 gene in the mouse increases renal oxidative stress and inflammation. Moreover, Gstm1 knockout mice, and not their wild-type littermates, derive a renal protective effect when their diet was supplemented with sulforaphane-rich broccoli powder. Importantly, we also showed in ARIC that while patients with the GSTM1 null allele are more at risk for kidney disease progression and kidney failure, these patients also derive more benefit from high intake of cruciferous vegetables compared to those carrying one or two active GSTM1 alleles. Our work has advanced the conceptual understanding of gene-environment interaction in kidney disease and precision medicine. These findings received world-wide press release in 2020. Our work has evolved to an NIH funded clinical trial NCT05797506 to test the safety and efficacy of sulforaphane supplement in CKD stages 3-4. We are currently pursuing the GSTM1-Transsulfuration Metabolic Axis as a mechanistic pathway that can be targeted therapeutically in precision medicine.
Collectrin (Tmem27) in hypertension and salt-sensitivity: The goal of this project is to define the physiological role of collectrin, Tmem27, a chaperone of amino acid transporters, in blood pressure homeostasis. Using global collectrin knockout mouse line, we previously reported that collectrin, by regulating arginine uptake, modulates nitric oxide and superoxide balance, and therefore blood pressure and salt-sensitivity. Using a tissue-specific knockout approach to delineate the tissue-collectrin-nitric oxide synthase axis and renal mechanisms (tubular epithelial regulation versus renal blood flow) by which collectrin influences blood pressure and the adaptive response to high salt intake, we identified that loss of collectrin in the proximal tubule is sufficient to cause hypertension, but not salt sensitivity. Our data supports the notion that vascular dysfunction, particularly alteration in renal blood flow, is required for salt sensitivity. In addition, using a translational approach, we observed sex-specific single-nucleotide polymorphism association with diastolic blood pressure in a large Latino cohort, implicating a role of collectrin in human hypertension.
Collectrin (Tmem27) in kidney cancer: More recently, we identified that absence of collectrin expression in kidney tumor is associated with more aggressive tumor characteristics and poorer all-cause mortality and disease-free survival in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (cc RCC). Efforts are underway to define molecular mechanism by which collectrin impacts clinical outcomes in cc RCC.
Publications: For a full list of publications, please see the following link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/thu.le.1/bibliography/40454872/public/?sort=date&direction=ascending
DeLalio LJ, Masati E, Mendu S, Ruddiman CA, Yang Y, Johnstone SR, Milstein JA, Keller TCS, Weaver RB, Guagliardo NA, Best AK, Ravichandran KS, Bayliss DA, Sequeira-Lopez MLS, Sonkusare SN, Shu XH, Desai B, Barrett PQ, Le TH, Gomez RA, Isakson BE
Kidney international.. 2020 September 98 (3):630-644. Epub 05/21/2020.
Gigliotti JC, Tin A, Pourafshar S, Cechova S, Wang YT, Sung SJ, Bodonyi-Kovacs G, Cross JV, Yang G, Nguyen N, Chan F, Rebholz C, Yu B, Grove ML, Grams ME, Köttgen A, Scharpf R, Ruiz P, Boerwinkle E, Coresh J, Le TH
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN.. 2020 January 31 (1):102-116. Epub 11/14/2019.
Morris AP, Le TH, Wu H, Akbarov A, van der Most PJ, Hemani G, Smith GD, Mahajan A, Gaulton KJ, Nadkarni GN, Valladares-Salgado A, Wacher-Rodarte N, Mychaleckyj JC, Dueker ND, Guo X, Hai Y, Haessler J, Kamatani Y, Stilp AM, Zhu G, Cook JP, Ärnlöv J, Blanton SH, de Borst MH, Bottinger EP, Buchanan TA, Cechova S, Charchar FJ, Chu PL, Damman J, Eales J, Gharavi AG, Giedraitis V, Heath AC, Ipp E, Kiryluk K, Kramer HJ, Kubo M, Larsson A, Lindgren CM, Lu Y, Madden PAF, Montgomery GW, Papanicolaou GJ, Raffel LJ, Sacco RL, Sanchez E, Stark H, Sundstrom J, Taylor KD, Xiang AH, Zivkovic A, Lind L, Ingelsson E, Martin NG, Whitfield JB, Cai J, Laurie CC, Okada Y, Matsuda K, Kooperberg C, Chen YI, Rundek T, Rich SS, Loos RJF, Parra EJ, Cruz M, Rotter JI, Snieder H, Tomaszewski M, Humphreys BD, Franceschini N
Nature communications.. 2019 January 310 (1):29. Epub 01/03/2019.
Liang J, Le TH, Edwards DRV, Tayo BO, Gaulton KJ, Smith JA, Lu Y, Jensen RA, Chen G, Yanek LR, Schwander K, Tajuddin SM, Sofer T, Kim W, Kayima J, McKenzie CA, Fox E, Nalls MA, Young JH, Sun YV, Lane JM, Cechova S, Zhou J, Tang H, Fornage M, Musani SK, Wang H, Lee J, Adeyemo A, Dreisbach AW, Forrester T, Chu PL, Cappola A, Evans MK, Morrison AC, Martin LW, Wiggins KL, Hui Q, Zhao W, Jackson RD, Ware EB, Faul JD, Reiner AP, Bray M, Denny JC, Mosley TH, Palmas W, Guo X, Papanicolaou GJ, Penman AD, Polak JF, Rice K, Taylor KD, Boerwinkle E, Bottinger EP, Liu K, Risch N, Hunt SC, Kooperberg C, Zonderman AB, Laurie CC, Becker DM, Cai J, Loos RJF, Psaty BM, Weir DR, Kardia SLR, Arnett DK, Won S, Edwards TL, Redline S, Cooper RS, Rao DC, Rotter JI, Rotimi C, Levy D, Chakravarti A, Zhu X, Franceschini N
PLoS genetics.. 2017 May 13 (5):e1006728. Epub 05/12/2017.
He KY, Wang H, Cade BE, Nandakumar P, Giri A, Ware EB, Haessler J, Liang J, Smith JA, Franceschini N, Le TH, Kooperberg C, Edwards TL, Kardia SL, Lin X, Chakravarti A, Redline S, Zhu X
PLoS genetics.. 2017 March 13 (3):e1006678. Epub 03/27/2017.
Keller TC, Butcher JT, Broseghini-Filho GB, Marziano C, DeLalio LJ, Rogers S, Ning B, Martin JN, Chechova S, Cabot M, Shu X, Best AK, Good ME, Simão Padilha A, Purdy M, Yeager M, Peirce SM, Hu S, Doctor A, Barrett E, Le TH, Columbus L, Isakson BE
Hypertension.. 2016 December 68 (6):1494-1503. Epub 10/31/2016.
Straub AC, Butcher JT, Billaud M, Mutchler SM, Artamonov MV, Nguyen AT, Johnson T, Best AK, Miller MP, Palmer LA, Columbus L, Somlyo AV, Le TH, Isakson BE
Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology.. 2014 December 34 (12):2594-600. Epub 10/02/2014.
Gastrointestinal endoscopy.. 1995 August 42 (2):176-7. Epub 1900 01 01.
Ratings & Comments
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Ratings
Care provider's discussion of any proposed treatment (options, risks, benefits, etc.)
4.8 stars
Likelihood of recommending this care provider to others
4.9 stars
Explanations the care provider gave you about your problem or condition
4.8 stars
Care provider's efforts to include you in decisions about your care
4.8 stars
Concern the care provider showed for your questions or worries
4.8 stars
Patient Comments
5.0 stars
No way to improve on excellence.
Aug 17, 2024
5.0 stars
Dr. Le was everything I would want in a doctor.
Jul 28, 2024
5.0 stars
Very friendly and very concerned about my health condition very good
Feb 03, 2024
Dr. Le is awesome! Very caring and compensate! Take time to listen and explain things.
Nov 24, 2023
5.0 stars
I was very impressed with Dr. Le - the time she spent with me, her caring demeanor - everything.
Sep 09, 2023
5.0 stars
Dr. Le is terrific!
May 05, 2023
5.0 stars
Best dr. I have ever had.
Apr 05, 2023
5.0 stars
I was a little nervous about what she told me but she calmed me down made it alright.
Apr 04, 2023
I feel that Dr Le has my very best interests as her top priority
Mar 05, 2023
3.8 stars
Not much discussion r/t my chronic condition; mostly review of bloodwork findings.
Dec 29, 2022
5.0
Dr. Le was great - Knowledgeable, and caring with the ability to project confidence in her desire to maintain my health.
Aug 30, 2022
5.0
Dr. Le always treats me with respect and humanity. I'm most trusting and comfortable with her.
