Terry J. Watnick, MD

Research in my laboratory focuses on understanding the biology of cystic kidney diseases.  Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common of these disorders and is caused by mutations in two genes PKD1 (proteins, polycystin-1) and PKD2 (protein-polycystin-2).  We are using a variety of model systems/organisms to understand the biology of these proteins.

A major interest in the lab is to understand how mutations in PKD1/PKD2 result in vascular aneurysms, which are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in ADPKD.  Although there are no adult mouse models that can be reliably used to study this phenotype, mice with homozygous null mutations in Pkd1 or Pkd2 die in mid gestation with hemorrhage and edema. We are using these mouse models along with conditional alleles and cell-based systems to understand the function of polycystins in both endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells. We recently found that polycystins are essential for normal lymphatic development and we are pursing the role polycystin signaling in these cells.  In addition we are interested in genotype phenotype correlations in patients with ADPKD and aneurysms. 

A second project in the lab involves the use Drosophila melanogaster to dissect the molecules involved in ciliary trafficking of Polycystin-2.  This is important because virtually all the protein products implicated in cystic diseases including have been found to localize to the primary cilia.  Polcystins are conserved in Drosophila and play a key role in male fertility. 

I am the Principal Investigator for the Baltimore Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Research and Clinical Core Center (P30DK090868 Baltimore Polycystic Kidney Disease Research and Clinical Core Center. Our mission is to promote translational PKD research by providing unique resources and expertise to an international group of investigators. We are one of four such PKD Centers in the United States.  The Center has 4 biomedical Research Cores:

1. Antibody Validation and Vector Core (Director: Feng Qian, Ph.D.)
2. Mouse Models and Biobank Core (Director: Patricia Outeda-Garcia, Ph.D.)
3. Cell Culture/Cell Engineering Core (Director: Paul Welling, M.D. and Co-Director: Owen Woodward, Ph.D.)
4. Clinical/Translational Core (Director: Stephen Seliger, M.D. M. S. and Co-Director: Terry Watnick, M. D.)

My clinical specialty is in the area of Inherited kidney diseases including Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease, adult forms of autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease, Alport syndrome and Fabry disease. My inherited renal disease clinic at the University of Maryland serves as a referral center for the mid-Atlantic Region. I am an investigator in several multicenter Clinical Trials recruiting patients with ADPKD.

1981: Susan Colver Rosenberger Prize in Portuguese and Brazilian Studies
1981: Honors in Biology, Magna Cum Laude, Brown University
1994-96: National Research Service Award DK09055, National Institutes of Health
1997: Solo Cup Institutional Clinician Scientist Award, The Johns Hopkins University
1998-04: NIH Physician Scientist Award
1999: ISN Travel Fellowship, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2004: Norman S. Coplon Grant Award (Satellite Research Foundation)
2003: Lillian Jean Kaplan International Prize for Advancement in the Understanding of Polycystic Kidney Disease                                                                           
2023: Andreoli Lectureship, University of Alabama, Birmingham

2013-Editorial Board, Journal of the American Society of Nephrology

2010-2013 Vice-Chair, Scientific Advisory Board, Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation

2013-2017 Chair Scientific Advisory Committee, Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation

2013- Board of Trustees Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation

https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/

https://www.medschool.umaryland.edu/nephrology/PKD-Center/

https://www.pkd-rrc.org/