Scientific Advisory Board
Roger Wiggins, M.D.
Professor of Internal Medicine
Chief of Nephrology, Division of Nephrology
University of Michigan Medical Center
Division of Nephrology
1500 East Medical Center Drive
3914 Taubman Center
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Business: (734) 936-5645
Business Fax: (734) 936-9621
Email: rwiggins@med.umich.edu
Dr. Roger Wiggins is a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, the Chief of the Nephrology Division and the Director of the George O’Brien Renal Center at the University of Michigan. His lab is credited with identifying and cloning particular podocyte proteins that can be used as markers for understanding podoctyte biology. The lab is currently constructing several transgenic mouse models to explore the importance of podocyte number.
Dr. Wiggins received his M.B. and B. Chir. Degree from the Cambridge University in England. He completed his residency at London Teaching Hospitals, focusing on Nephrology, Neurology, and Cardiology. Dr. Wiggins completed his fellowship in Immunopathology at the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation in La Jolla, CA.
His research focuses on preventing the progression of glomerular diseases. This includes a particular focus on the biology of the podocyte and the role of decreased podocyte number in glomerulosclerosis. Dr. Wiggins is examining the role of the aging process on glomerular biology and learning how this is linked to the remarkable increase in kidney failure in later life. Joint projects with Dr. Friedhelm Hildebrandt in Pediatric Nephrology at UM are focused on identifying mutations in genes responsible for steroid-responsive and steroid-resistant forms of nephrotic syndrome using positional cloning approaches in children and adults.
Selected Publications:
Wiggins, JE, Goyal M, Wharram B and Wiggins R. The anti-oxidant Ceruloplasmin is expressed by glomerular parietal epithelial cells and secreted into the urine in association with glomerular aging and high calorie diet. J Am Soc Nephrol E-pub 2006.
Wiggins J, Goyal M, Sanden S, Wharram B, Shedden K, Misek D, Kuick R, Wiggins R. Podocyte hypertrophy, “adaptation” and “decompensation” associated with glomerular enlargement and glomerulosclerosis in the aging rat: Prevention by calorie restriction. J Am Soc Nephrol 16:2953-2966, 2005.
Wharram B, Goyal M, Wiggins J, Sanden S, Hussain S, Filipiak W, Saunders T, Dysko R, Kohno K, Holzman L, Wiggins R. Podocyte depletion causes glomerulosclerosis. Diphtheria toxin-induced podocyte depletion in rats expressing the human DTR transgene. J Am Soc Nephrol 16:2941-2952, 2005.