Eugene P. Rhee, MD, MA
Photo: Eugene P. Rhee

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Elected 2021

Dr. Rhee is an academic nephrologist with a dual appointment in the Nephrology Division and Endocrine Unit at the Massachusetts General Hospital. His group utilizes a range of approaches to study kidney disease and its complications. His group has led metabolomics studies to examine the effects of the hemodialysis procedure, identify markers of death in end-stage renal disease, identify markers of new onset CKD or CKD progression, and outline the genetic architecture of the human metabolome. These epidemiologic studies have served as the basis for physiologic and mechanistic interrogation that have revealed novel metabolic and anabolic functions within the kidney. For example, by profiling renal arteriovenous samples obtained via invasive catheterization, his laboratory has characterized how the human kidney modulates hundreds to thousands of metabolites and proteins. In addition to providing insight on why select molecules are deranged in renal failure, these screens have a) led to the discovery of glycerol-3-phosphate as a kidney-derived regulator that is converted to lysophosphatidic acid in bone and bone marrow, where it triggers FGF23 production; b) identified the protein testican-2 as a podocyte-specific marker of kidney health, with potential functional effects within the glomerulus; and c) outlined a new role for polyunsaturated fatty acid desaturation in supporting kidney (and liver) NAD+ recycling and glycolysis.