Lab Overview

Vienna E. Brunt, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She is interested in understanding the mechanisms by which kidney diseases so negatively impact the cardiovascular system and in developing novel interventions to reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).

Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death in patients with kidney disease, which is often accompanied by hypertension, arterial stiffness, and impaired vascular function. Blood pressure management in these patients remains challenging. Novel interventions, especially non-pharmacological interventions with minimal side effects, are needed to reduce overall cardiovascular risk in kidney disease patients.

The Brunt Laboratory uses translational approaches to first screen and elucidate molecular mechanisms of novel interventions for improving cardiovascular function in rodent models of CKD and ADPKD, and then translate promising interventions into initial clinical trials in healthy older adults and kidney disease patients.  We also use cell culture and isolated artery models combined with tissues from human patients to reverse translate and identify mechanisms of action.

Interventions of current interest include 1) dietary and supplement-based interventions that target the gut microbiome and its signaling;  2) dietary supplements targeting mitochondrial function in ADPKD; 3) anti-inflammatory agents; and 4) targeting the effects of menopause-associated estrogen deficiency in CKD.