Written by Tor Nasci, Ph.D.
When asked what I wanted to be as a child I would always say a “heart doctor” though I never really understood what that could entail. Through my little sister’s health struggles in her early years, I developed a secondary interest in the kidneys. As I moved through my education, I learned how intertwined the cardiovascular and renal systems were and this furthered my interest in both the heart and the kidney. While completing my bachelor’s degree in biological sciences at Marquette University I took an experimental physiology class and fell in love with research. The timing was perfect as I was realizing I did not want to go to medical school and be in a patient forward job but was not sure what I wanted to do instead. After Graduation I worked as a research technician in the Cardiovascular Research Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). I learned more about research and what a career in research could entail then decided to pursue my PhD in Physiology at MCW.
During my graduate studies I worked in the lab of Dr. Alison Kriegel. Her research is focused on understanding molecular mechanisms of cardio-renal syndrome type 4 where primary chronic kidney disease leads to cardiovascular disease. This lab was perfect for me as it naturally combined research on the heart and kidney my two lifelong interests. My thesis work focused on understanding how microRNA 21 impacts cardiac energetics and thus function following a 5/6th reduction in kidney mass to simulate chronic kidney disease. Furthermore, my work looked at the effect of peritoneal dialysis in this model to evaluate how dialysis itself impacts cardiac health and whether dialysis is capable of clearing circulating microRNA’s that while small typically circulate in microvesicles too large to pass through dialysis pores. While a student at MCW I was awarded an American Heart Association pre-doctoral fellowship, presented at numerous national conferences, and ultimately won the Friends of MCW Outstanding Dissertation Award.
Following the completion of my PhD in November of 2021 I moved to Nashville and joined the lab of Dr. Eman Gohar in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension as a postdoctoral research fellow. While at VUMC my research has shifted from a focus on the heart with the kidney as a secondary interest to now a focus on the kidney with a secondary interest in the heart. Our lab is interested in mechanisms of sex differences in the prevalence of kidney disease and hypertension. In particular our lab is interested in the role of the G-protein coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1) in the kidney. My project is twofold. First, I am interested in the signaling mechanisms downstream from GPER1 that may impact natriuretic mechanisms, hypertension, and kidney damage. For this project I am utilizing a collecting duct specific KO of GPER1 to evaluate how GPER1 impacts endothelin-1 (ET-1), Epithelial Sodium channel (ENaC), and aldosterone signaling. My second interest is upstream of GPER1. Evidence suggests that this estrogen receptor (GPER1) is involved in sodium regulation in the kidney. I am therefore, exploring the possibility that the kidneys may be capable of producing estrogen locally to activate GPER1 in response to salt fluctuations sensed by the kidney. Preliminary evidence indeed suggests that the kidneys are capable of extragonadal estrogen production and for this project I will evaluate potential sex differences in this production that may impact sex differences in natriuresis, kidney disease, and hypertension. Since joining VUMC I have continued to present my work at national conferences and have received the American Heart Association Kidney Council New Investigator Travel Award, and most recently the American Physiological Society Renal Section Postdoctoral Excellence in Research Award.
In addition to my research, I am active in service both nationally and locally. Nationally I serve on the American Physiological Society Animal Care and Experimentation Committee and recently, I was appointed to the American Heart Association Kidneys in Cardiovascular Disease Nominating Committee. Here at VUMC I serve on the Nephrology Faculty and Fellows Wellness Committee, the P.R.I.D.E employee resource group social committee, and this past year served on the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association (VPA) as the Advocacy and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Chair. This year for the VPA I will be serving as the President. I am excited to continue working with the VPA to rollout initiatives that can help better the postdoc community both professionally and personally. It is my goal to work with my fellow board members this year to better engage the postdoc community and create more comradery and interactive opportunities.
In my free time I like to tend my garden, go hiking with my dog, and go fishing and kayaking. I also play slow-pitch softball with the Nashville Blast in the Metro Nashville Softball Association league. In addition, I enjoy cooking and baking. I have been learning the art of smoking meats, and I enjoy cooking the traditional New Mexican cuisine I grew up with.