Sundar Swaminathan

Inaugural Chair and Professor

Department of Nephrology, Division of Medical Sciences

Associate Faculty, Department of Bioengineering
Indian Institute of Science
Bengaluru, India 560012

Adjunct Faculty
Mayo Clinic Arizona
Scottsdale, AZ 85259

E-mail: swami@iisc.ac.in

Research Focus
Kidney disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. There is a pressing need to discover novel therapies to prevent renal failure. Affordability of treatments including dialysis imposes substantial burden on the lower socio-economic strata of society around the world including in India. My laboratory is broadly interested in fundamental studies in the pathophysiology of kidney diseases with a particular interest in examining the role of systemic and cellular iron metabolism in cell injury, proliferation, repair, and transformation. Seminal studies from laboratories around the world has established an important role for iron-mediated cell death or ferroptosis in organ injury such as in acute kidney injury (AKI) and myocardial ischemia. Recent studies also imply ferroptosis in the progression of AKI to chronic kidney disease (CKD). In our laboratory, we have previously demonstrated a protective role of hepcidin, a master regulator of iron metabolism, in diverse murine models of kidney injury. Our current focus is to develop novel models combined with translational studies to better understand acute and chronic kidney injury and to discover novel therapeutic approaches to reduce the burden of kidney disease. Our laboratory is also interested in developing frugal approaches using advanced bioengineering approaches to diagnose and treat patients with kidney diseases. Our lab also applies this fundamental knowledge in other systems such as in cancer where iron plays a fundamental role in cell injury, repair and regeneration.

Educational History

Fellowship, Nephrology (2006): Nephrology Fellowship Program, Programs in Rochester, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota.
Resident (2003-2006): Nephrology, Programs in Rochester, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota
Residency, Internal Medicine (2003):Montefiore Medical Center Northern Division, Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center, Bronx, New York
Fellowship, Nephrology (2001): Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
MD (1996): Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
MBBS (1993): Thanjavur Medical College, Thanjavur, India

Courses offered

Awards / Honours / Affiliations

Gold Medal in Pharmacology – Thanjavur Medical College

1990

Gold Medal in Ophthalmology – Thanjavur Medical College

1991

University Rank Holder in Anatomy, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Otorhinolaryngology and Surgery – Thanjavur Medical College

1992

Silver Medal in Internal Medicine Residency – Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research

1996

Best Academic PGY-1 Resident Award – Montefiore Medical Center (Northern Division), Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center

2002

Best Academic PGY-3 Resident Best Teaching Resident – Montefiore Medical Center (Northern Division), Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center

2003

Angela and Anne V. Marinelli Endowed Fellowship – Mayo Clinic, Mayo Clinic
A peer reviewed $15,000 award given to one subspecialty fellow for outstanding clinical judgment, compassion, core Mayo values and respect by peers. I was the first recipient of this award at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. This award is peer-reviewed and given to one fellow across all the specialties in the Department of Medicine who embodies outstanding clinical judgment, respect by peers, and adopting Mayo values.

2005

Best Doctors in Arkansas (Nephrology) – Arkansas Times

2008

Best Teaching Faculty Award by UAMS Renal Fellows – College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

2008

Best Doctors in Arkansas (Nephrology) – Arkansas Times

2009

Red Sash Award – College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

2009

The George L. Ackerman Award for Outstanding Faculty in Internal Medicine – College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
I was chosen to receive this award in 2010 based on evaluation from the Internal Medicine residents and collected discussion with the faculty in the Internal Medicine program. This award is given to one faculty across all specialties in the Department of Medicine each year.

2010

Faculty Member – Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society
University of Arkansas Medical School recognized my contribution to medical student Education and their leadership nominated me as a faculty in the Arkansas Chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha in 2012. This recognition came after being awarded Red Sash awards for multiple concurrent years by the UAMS medical school.

2011

Red Sash Award – College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

2011

Red Sash Award – College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

2012

Fellow in Leadership in Academic Medicine – University of Virginia

2014

Excellence in Research Award – Department of Medicine, University of Virginia

2015

“Teacher of the Year” in Nephrology and Transplant Nephrology – Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Mayo Clinic

2020 – 2021

Elected to Fellowship – Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

2022

Finalist for PGIMER Director Position – Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research

2022

Nominated for Teacher of the Year – Mayo Clinic Arizona Residents and Fellows Association, Mayo Clinic

2022

 

4th Annual Professor K.S. Chugh Oration at PGIMER, Chandigarh                                          

2024

 

Publications

  • Zhiqiang Liu, Hongmei Jiang, Lijuan Wang, Qiguo Zhang, Sheng Wang, Linchuang Jia, Hao Cheng, Jingya Wang, Xin Li, Ying Xie, Yixuan Wang, Meilin Hu, Jing Guo, Qian Li, Ziyi Peng, Mengqi Wang, Yangyang Xie, Tiantian Li, Yafei Wang, Bill D. Geng, Sundararaman Swaminathan, and P. Leif Bergsagel. Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Dictate Lanosterol Biosynthesis and Ferroptosis of Multiple Myeloma. Oncogene. 2024
  • Budhiraja P, Butterfield R, Gea-Banacloche J, Swaminathan S, Smith ML, Khamash HA, Me HM, Kodali L, Mour GK, Nair S, Misra S, Heilman RL. Outcomes of asymptomatic histologic pyelonephritis of kidney transplant. Clin Transplant. 2023 Dec;37(12):e15125. doi: 10.1111/ctr.15125. Epub 2023 Sep 13. PMID: 37705388
  • Khan D, Zhang N, Abu Jawdeh BG, Swaminathan S, Nair S, Keddis MT. Characteristics and Graft Outcomes of Kidney Transplant Candidates with Enteric Risk Factors and Elevated Plasma Oxalate Levels. Am J Nephrol. 2023;54(1-2):42-49. doi: 10.1159/000529555. Epub 2023 Feb 13. PMID: 36780883
  • McBride, N, Swaminathan, S, and Nagaraja, V. A 64-year-Old Man with Joint pain and Fever.
    NEJM Evid. 2023 Jun;2(6): EVIDmr2200337. doi: 10.1056/EVIDmr2200337
  • Khan D, Zhang N, Bassam G, Abu Jawdeh BG, Swaminathan S, Nair S, Keddis M. Characteristics and graft outcomes of kidney transplant candidates with enteric risk factors and elevated plasma oxalate levels. Am J Nephrol (Accepted) 2023
  • Kalantari K, Swaminathan S. Use of Gadolinium in Individuals with Reduced Kidney Function. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2021 Feb 8; 16 (2):304-306 Epub 2021 Jan 11 PMID: 33431379 PMCID: 7863651 DOI: 10.2215/CJN.13950820
  • Floris M, Lepori N, Angioi A, Cabiddu G, Piras D, Loi V, Swaminathan S, Rosner MH, Pani A.  Chronic Kidney Disease of Undetermined Etiology around the World. Kidney Blood Press Res. 2021; 46 (2):142-151 Epub 2021 Apr 12 PMID: 33845480   DOI: 10.1159/000513014 (Citations: 6)

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