Lori O'Brien

Lori O’Brien, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology at the UNC School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on understanding kidney development and disease mechanisms, particularly nephron progenitor maintenance, podocyte biology, and Wilms’ tumor transformation. She holds affiliations with the Cell Biology and Physiology Curriculum and the UNC Kidney Center.

Education:

• Bachelor of Science in Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• PhD in Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Postdoctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University and the University of Southern California

Research Interests:

Her lab investigates regulatory networks governing nephron progenitor cell behavior, podocyte development, and disease-related cellular changes. Techniques include developmental biology, genetics, high-throughput sequencing, and imaging. Key areas include:
- Nephron progenitor maintenance and kidney disease susceptibility
- Wilms’ tumor transformation mechanisms
- Podocyte architecture and disease progression

Publications:

Recent work includes studies on kidney organoid vascularization, sensory innervation mapping, and ferroptosis in kidney injury. Articles span developmental biology, cell biology, and kidney disease mechanisms.

Awards:

• 2016 Maren Scholar
• 2015 Broad Postdoctoral Fellowship
• 2010 NIH/NIDDK Postdoctoral Fellowship
• 2009 North-East Society for Developmental Biology Best Poster

Labs/Teams: Active in the UNC Kidney Center and collaborates on projects involving kidney regeneration and disease modeling.