Nicole Schupp

Nicole Schupp serves as Associate Professor at the Institute of Toxicology, Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, where she leads the Workgroup Kidney Damage and Nephroprotection. Her research addresses critical gaps in understanding toxin-induced kidney injury mechanisms and developing protective interventions for chronic kidney diseases.

Her primary research focuses on nephrotoxicology, specifically investigating how genotoxic/non-genotoxic substances cause acute and chronic kidney damage through oxidative stress and DNA injury. Key areas include uremic toxin-mediated DNA damage, Nrf2 transcription factor regulation in renal protection, and regeneration mechanisms in proximal tubules. She pioneers 3R-compliant toxicity testing using precision-cut kidney slices and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived kidney models to reduce animal experimentation.

Analysis of her 2020-2023 publications reveals strong thematic continuity in aldosterone-induced renal damage pathways, oxidative stress biomarkers, and Nrf2 signaling dysregulation. Her work consistently bridges molecular mechanisms (DNA damage, oxidative stress) with clinical applications (biomarker development, nephroprotective agents), particularly in hypertension-related kidney pathology.

Dr. Schupp actively mentors two doctoral students (Isaac Musong Mboni Johnston and Sören Hartmann) within Research Training Group 2578 (RTG 2578), which focuses on stem cell models for kidney damage research. Her group collaborates with technical staff including Kerstin de Mezzo to maintain advanced experimental platforms.

The Workgroup Kidney Damage and Nephroprotection operates state-of-the-art facilities for precision-cut kidney slice culture, stem cell differentiation, and in vivo modeling, enabling comprehensive investigation of nephrotoxic mechanisms and protective strategies against environmental and metabolic toxins.