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Dr. Sharon Ricardo obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Melbourne in 1994. Thereafter, she was awarded a US National Kidney Foundation Fellowship to conduct postdoctoral studies at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine where she was appointed an Assistant Professor in 1996. In 2000 she returned to Australia as an NHMRC Howard Florey Fellow and commenced studies at Monash University. She is currently an Associate Professor and Group Leader of the Renal Regeneration Laboratory, Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories (MISCL), and Director of the MBio Graduate School at Monash University.
The Renal Regeneration Laboratory is focused on the development of new adult stem cell-based therapies that may offer alternatives for patients undergoing kidney transplantation and long-term dialysis.
Kidney disease is a widespread and debilitating health issue facing millions of people worldwide. The progression to end-stage renal disease is now a critical health issue where the incidence is rising rapidly at a rate of around 6-8% per year worldwide. Currently, the only treatment available for patients is long-term dialysis or kidney transplantation. Potential therapies for patients with renal disease may involve the administration of stem cells or growth factors to slow the development of kidney disease and/or regenerate damaged kidney tissue. Our research in the Renal Regeneration Laboratory is focused on the cellular and molecular regulation of kidney ‘self-repair’ and the immune cells that are important in this process. The ultimate aim of this research is to develop cellular-based therapies for patients with advanced renal disease. Stem cells are found in fetal tissues and adult organs, and have the ability to renew themselves as well as differentiate into a diverse range of specialized cell types. The great hope is that stem cell-based therapies combined with regenerative growth factors may be used to repair damaged kidney tissues and reverse the development of scarring, thereby reducing the need for kidney dialysis or organ transplantation.
Dr Ricardo was named the Kidney Health Australia Bootle Scholar (2003-2007). She has previously held a US National Kidney Foundation Fellowship (1994-1996); an American Heart Association Initiator Investigator Fellowship; and received the Judy S. Finkelstein Award from Pennsylvania Sate University College of Medicine; and the Marion Merrell Dow Excellence in Renal Research Award from the American Physiological Society. With 45 papers published in leading kidney and stem cell journals she has received research grant funding >$4.5 K from national and international granting bodies and has 2 international PCT patents.
