Kevin Burns
Senior Scientist, Inflammation & Chronic Disease
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Professor of Medicine, Director, Kidney Research Centre
OHRI, University of Ottawa
Research Interests
1, The intrarenal renin angiotensin system and its role in the progression of chronic kidney disease, with an emphasis on ACE2 in the kidney
2. Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) and the role of human progenitor cells as therapy
3. Translational Research
Brief Biography
Kevin D. Burns, MD, CM, FRCP(C) is Professor of Medicine and past Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Medicine of the Ottawa Hospital and University of Ottawa. He is Senior Scientist and Director of the Kidney Research Centre of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, University of Ottawa, and is cross-appointed to the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. Dr. Burns received his B.Sc. and M.D. degrees from McGill University. He completed Internal Medicine Residency and Clinical Nephrology Fellowship training at the University of Ottawa, undertook basic science research training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and returned to Ottawa in 1992 as a clinician scientist. Dr. Burns was University and Hospital Division Head of Nephrology from 1997-2005.
Dr. Burns’ research is focused on the function and regulation of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system in diabetic nephropathy and hypertension, and the pathogenesis and treatment of acute kidney injury. His laboratory has been supported by funds from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Kidney Foundation of Canada (KFOC), and the Canada Foundation for Innovation/Ontario Innovation Trust.
Dr. Burns is Past President of the Canadian Society of Nephrology (CSN), and is Chair of the Steering Committee for the KRESCENT Program, a national kidney research training program launched by the CSN, the KFOC, and the CIHR. In 2010, Dr. Burns received the Medal for Research Excellence from the KFOC, in recognition of his contributions to kidney research in Canada.
Selected Publications
Nadarajah R, Milagres R, Dilauro M, Gutsol A, Xiao F, Zimpelmann J, Kennedy C, Wysocki J, Batlle D and Burns KD. Podocyte-specific overexpression of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 attenuates diabetic nephropathy in mice. Kidney Int 82(3): 292-303, 2012.
Xiao F, Hiremath S, Knoll G, Zimpelmann J, Srivaratharajah K, Jadhav D, Fergusson D, Kennedy CRJ and Burns KD. Increased Urinary Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 in Renal Transplant Patients with Diabetes. PLoS ONE. 2012;7(5):e37649.
Xiao F, Zimpelmann J, Agaybi S, Gurley SB, Puente L and Burns KD. Characterization of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 ectodomain shedding from mouse proximal tubular cells. PLoS One. 2014 Jan 15:9(1):e85958.doi:10.1371.
Burger D, Viñas J, Akbari S, Dehak H, Knoll W, Gutsol A, Touyz RM, Allan DS and Burns KD. Human endothelial colony forming cells protect against acute kidney injury: role of exosomes. Am J Pathol 185(8):2309-23, 2015. Senior corresponding author, Funded by KFOC.
Viñas Jose L, Burger D, Zimpelmann J, Haneef R, Knoll W, Campbell P, Gutsol A, Carter A, Allan DS, Burns KD. Transfer of MicroRNA-486-5p from Human Endothelial Colony Forming Cell-derived Exosomes in Ischemic Kidney Injury. Kidney Int (in press).
Diseases, conditions and populations of interest
Research and clinical approaches
