Dr. Moumita Barua

Award: KRESCENT New Investigator Award
Institution: University of Toronto
Year: 2016-2019

Lay Summary

Dr. Moumita Barua is a Clinician Scientist and Assistant Professor in the Division of Nephrology at University Health Network and the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is Associate Director of the Hereditary Kidney Disease Clinic, where individuals with genetic conditions affecting the kidney are seen. She is a Scientist within the Advanced Diagnostics Division at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute. Dr. Barua completed a KRESCENT postdoctoral research fellowship in one of the leading laboratories in genetic kidney disease at Brigham & Women’s Hospital & Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Dr. Barua’s primary research focus is focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a disorder characterized by abnormalities of the kidney filter. Affected individuals manifest with abnormal protein loss in their urine, leading to a constellation of symptoms collectively called nephrotic syndrome comprising edema, vulnerability to infection and hypercoagulability. More than 50% of patients with FSGS will not respond to standard immunosuppressive treatment, progressing to kidney failure necessitating dialysis or transplantation.

Mutations in more than 40 genes have been found in FSGS and the list continues to grow. Despite advances in the understanding of the genetic causes of disease, there remain significant gaps in knowledge, which limits diagnostic and treatment capability. Past low throughput screens consisting of only a few genes due to constraints of sequencing technology and the rareness of each genetic cause have been a limiting factor in advancing the field and generating knowledge to inform clinical practice.

Dr. Barua’s laboratory focuses on developing next-generation sequencing based testing as a diagnostic clinical tool while leveraging it to discover new FSGS genes. Ultimately, her laboratory aims to translate research findings to help guide interpretation of genetic testing in the clinical setting to personalize the care of patients with FSGS in reaching diagnoses, selecting suitable at-risk kidney donors and tailoring treatment options. The laboratory also uses clinically relevant genetic models for mechanistic based studies with the eventual goal of developing targeted therapies to halt or delay disease progression.