Christine Kim, a Ph.D. candidate in the JGPT, has been awarded from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). This prestigious fellowship supports promising predoctoral students and provides mentored research training to prepare them for independent research careers.
Christine is investigating how melatonin, a widely used sleep supplement, protects against antibiotic-induced kidney injury. Vancomycin, one of the key antibiotics used empirically to treat septic patients, is strongly linked to acute kidney injury, which can result in permanent renal damage. Recognizing the urgent need for new therapeutic strategies, Christine is focusing on three aspects of melatonin-mediated protection: (1) receptor-mediated signaling, (2) activation of antioxidant defense pathways, and (3) regulation of renal drug transporters.
Her dissertation work is conducted under the mentorship of Drs. Lauren Aleksunes and Luigi Brunetti, whose guidance supports her goal of developing strategies to mitigate drug-induced kidney injury.