معرفی
David L. Mattson is Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Physiology at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University. He is also the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) Eminent Scholar in Hypertension, reflecting his national leadership in cardiovascular and renal research. His career spans decades of impactful work in hypertension, renal physiology, and immune system interactions.
Dr. Mattson earned his BS in Biology from the University of Minnesota Duluth (1984) and his PhD in Physiological Psychology from the Medical College of Wisconsin (1990). He served on the faculty at the Medical College of Wisconsin from 1992 to 2019, achieving tenure and leadership roles including Interim Senior Associate Dean of Research. He joined Augusta University in 2019 as Department Chair.
His research focuses on the genetic, immunological, and physiological mechanisms of salt-sensitive hypertension and kidney damage. A major emphasis is on the role of T cells, oxidative stress (particularly NOX2), and epigenetic regulation (e.g., DNA methylation) in hypertension. His lab uses integrative physiology, molecular biology, and genetically modified animal models, especially the Dahl salt-sensitive rat. His work has revealed critical insights into how immune cells infiltrate the kidney and exacerbate hypertension.
His recent publications (2022–2025) span topics including T cell immunometabolism, NOX2 signaling, dietary protein effects, epigenetic regulation, and renal perfusion dynamics. These studies appear in top journals such as Hypertension, American Journal of Physiology, and Nature Reviews Nephrology, demonstrating a consistent trend toward immune-renal interactions and precision mechanisms in hypertension.
Dr. Mattson has received numerous honors, including:
- Starling Award, American Physiological Society (2018)
- Faculty Service Award, Medical College of Wisconsin (2018)
- Established Investigator Award, American Heart Association (2000)
- Multiple teaching and service awards
He is deeply involved in academic service, including editorial board roles (Hypertension, Physiological Genomics), grant review, and professional society leadership. He mentors graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, with lab members including instructors and PhD candidates. He leads the Kidney and Hypertension Research Group and holds significant research funding, including NIH grants such as P01HL134604.
His laboratory is a hub of interdisciplinary research, integrating physiology, immunology, and genomics to uncover novel therapeutic targets for hypertension and kidney disease. Future work continues to explore immune cell contributions, sex differences, and environmental modulators of disease.
