Alla Mitrofanova

Alla Mitrofanova is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She is affiliated with the Katz Family Division of Nephrology and Hypertension.

• PhD in Human Physiology from Saint Petersburg State University, Russia
• Postdoctoral training at Schemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry and University of Miami

Research Interests: Dr. Mitrofanova investigates the role of innate immunity in glomerular diseases, focusing on STING activation by mitochondrial DNA in diabetic kidney disease and FSGS. Her work spans:

• STING signaling pathways in podocyte injury
• Mechanisms of cytosolic mtDNA leakage
• Lipid/sphingolipid metabolism in kidney pathologies
• Translational models using diabetic mice and human samples

Key Publications: Her research includes high-impact studies on SMPDL3b, STING activation, and cholesterol esters in podocyte dysfunction. These works appear in Kidney International, Nature Communications, and Science Translational Medicine.

Awards: She received the Graduate Student Grant twice during her PhD training.

Laboratory: Dr. Mitrofanova works in the Fornoni laboratory at the Katz Family Drug Discovery Center, collaborating on projects related to podocyte biology and immune modulation in kidney disease.