The role of myeloid spleen tyrosine kinase signalling in renal disease

My thesis examined the role of spleen tyrosine kinase, or Syk, in kidney disease. Syk is an enzyme found in different types of immune cells, including macrophages that can be important in kidney tissue injury and repair. I therefore studied the effect of Syk blockade or deletion in macrophages in cell culture and different forms of acute and chronic kidney disease, including diabetic kidney disease. This found that Syk may play an important role in kidney macrophage infiltration and scarring, as well as the production of important inflammatory molecules, suggesting Syk may be a potential new target for therapies.