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Additional Contact Information: Department of Biomedical Sciences |
EDUCATION/PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
1999 - B.S., Exercise Science, East Tennessee State University2001 - M.S., Exercise Physiology, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
2009 - Ph.D., Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin
2011 - Postdoctoral Fellowship, Nephrology, Loyola University Chicago
TEACHING/RESEARCH INTERESTS
Teaching:
1. MDIN-1314-1 – Cardiovascular, Pulmonary & Renal Course in Quillen College of Medicine
Instructor for Cardiovascular (16 contact hours) and Renal (16 contact hours) Physiology
2. MDIN-1311-1 & MDIN-1312-1 & MDIN-2311-1 – Problem Based Learning and Inquiry (IQ) in Quillen College of Medicine
Group facilitator for Foundations of Medical Knowledge, Immunology and Hematology, & Brain, Body and Behavior IQ cases (40 contact hours)
Research:
My laboratory is interested in the regulation of renal hemodynamics in health and
disease. We utilize a variety of approaches to assess renal function and injury including
the measurement of blood pressure, renal blood flow, and glomerular filtration in
conscious rats and the assessment of renal injury on a molecular and cellular level.
The Polichnowski lab’s major contributions to the field include the affect of various
autocrine, paracrine, hormonal, and dietary factors on renal blood flow autoregulation
and the susceptibility to kidney disease in models of acute kidney injury, chronic
kidney disease, hypertension, and obesity.
Current Projects in the Polichnowski Lab:
1. Investigating the mechanisms of impaired renal blood flow and autoregulatory
responses to a high salt diet in Dahl Salt-Sensitive (SS) rats. Recent studies from
our lab have demonstrated that Dahl SS rats exhibit impaired renal vasodilatory responses
to a high salt diet, which may contribute to salt-sensitive hypertension. Ongoing
studies are focused on the role of immune cells and reactive oxygen species in mediating
the impaired renal vascular responses to a high salt diet in Dahl SS rats.
2. Investigating the pathophysiological mechanisms contributing to the development
and progression of chronic kidney disease following acute kidney injury. Recent studies
from our lab have demonstrated that the development of even modest levels of hypertension
and impaired renal blood flow autoregulation following acute kidney injury may significantly
contribute to the progression of kidney disease. Ongoing studies are focused on the
ability of anti-hypertensive treatment to mitigate the progression of kidney disease
following ischemia-reperfusion-induced acute kidney injury in rats.
3. Investigating the pathophysiological mechanisms contributing to the sex disparity
in susceptibility to hypertensive kidney injury and progression of chronic kidney
disease in rats. Clinical studies have demonstrated that males with chronic kidney
disease are more susceptible to progressing to kidney failure as compared to females,
but the mechanisms are poorly understood. Ongoing studies in the lab are aimed at
determining whether sex differences in renal blood flow autoregulation and/or glomerular
capillary morphology may be contributing to the sex disparity in rates of chronic
kidney disease progression.
4. Determining the extent to which novel analysis methods of blood pressure and
renal blood flow data in conscious states can predict renal blood flow autoregulatory
capacity and the susceptibility to chronic kidney disease progression. Our research
group recently developed a novel analytical approach to assess the magnitude and kinetics
of renal blood flow autoregulation from blood pressure and renal blood flow data collected
in conscious rats. We are currently utilizing this technique as well as different
machine learning approaches to develop algorithms that accurately predict renal autoregulatory
capacity and the susceptibility to chronic kidney disease progression based on raw
blood pressure and renal blood flow data.
LABORATORY PERSONNEL
Rachel Grindstaff – PhD Graduate Student
Cole Story – Undergraduate Student
Aarna Patel – Undergraduate Student
Emmaleigh Coffey – Undergraduate Student
Zara Rashid – Undergraduate Student
ACTIVE RESEARCH FUNDING
1. NIH NHLBI
R01HL166458
Dr. David Mattson/Dr. Aaron Polichnowski (Co-Principal Investigators)
Title: Gut Metabolites, T Cells, and Salt-Sensitive Hypertension
01/01/2023 – 12/31/2026
2. NIH NIDDK
R01DK138150
PI – Dr. Paul O’Connor, Augusta University
Co-I – Dr. Aaron Polichnowski
Title: Red Blood Cell Trapping Mediates Toxic Kidney Injury Following Ischemia
09/06/2024 – 06/30/2028
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
- Mannon EC, Muller PR, Sun J, Bush WB, Coleman A, Ocasio H, Polichnowski AJ, Brands MW, O’Connor PM. NaHCO3 loading causes increased arterial pressure and kidney damage in rats with chronic kidney disease. Clinical Science 138(4):189-203, 2024. PMID: 38300615
- Chopde PR, Alvarez-Cedron R, Alphonse S, Polichnowski AJ, Griffin KA, Williamson GA. Efficacy of Dynamics-based Features for Machine Learning Classification of Renal Hemodynamics. 2023 31st European Signal Processing Conference (EUSIPCO), Helsinki, Finland, 2023, pp. 1145-1149, doi: 10.23919/EUSIPCO58844.2023.10289999.
- Chivers JM, Whiles SA, Miles CB, Biederman BE, Ellison MF, Lovingood CW, Wright MH, Hoover DB, Raafey MA, Youngberg GA, Venkatachalam MA, Zheleznova NN, Yang C, Liu P, Kriegel AJ, Cowley AW Jr., O’Connor PM, Picken MM, Polichnowski AJ. Brown-Norway chromosome 1 mitigates the upregulation of pro-inflammatory pathways in mTAL cells and subsequent age-related CKD in Dahl SS/JrHsdMcwi Rats. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 324(2):F193-210, 2023. PMID: 36475869.
- Potter JC, Whiles SA, Miles CB, Whiles JB, Mitchell MM, Biederman BE, Dawoud FM, Breuel KF, Williamson GA, Picken MM, Polichnowski AJ. Salt-sensitive hypertension, renal injury, and renal vasodysfunction associated with Dahl SS rats are abolished in consomic SS.BN1 rats. J Am Heart Assoc. Nov 2;10(21):e020261, 2021. PMID: 34689582.
- Mannon E, Sartain C, Wilkes T, Sun J, Polichnowski AJ, O’Connor PM. Renal mass reduction increases the response to exogenous insulin independent of acid-base status or plasma insulin levels in rats. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 321(4):F494-504, 2021. PMID: 34396787.
- Polichnowski AJ, Williamson GA, Blair TE, Hoover DB. Autonomic and cholinergic mechanisms mediating cardiovascular and temperature effects of donepezil in conscious mice. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 320(6):R871-884, 2021. PMID: 33851543.
- Alphonse S, Polichnowski AJ, Griffin KA, Bidani AK, Williamson GA. Autoregulatory efficiency assessment in kidneys using deep learning. 2020 28th European Signal Processing Conference(EUSIPCO), 2021, pp. 1165-1169, doi: 10.23919/Eusipco47968.2020.9287447.
- Crislip GR, Patel B, Mohamed R, Ray SC, Wei Q, Sun J, Polichnowski AJ, Sullivan JC, O’Connor PM. Ultrasound measurement of change in kidney volume is a sensitive indicator of severity of renal parenchymal injury. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 319(3):F447-457, 2020. PMID: 32686518.
- Polichnowski AJ, Griffin KA, Licea-Vargas H, Lan R, Picken MM, Long J, Williamson GA, Rosenberger C, Mathia S, Venkatachalam MA, Bidani AK. Pathophysiology of unilateral ischemia-reperfusion injury: importance of renal counterbalance and implications for the AKI-CKD transition. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 318(5):F1086-1099, 2020. PMID: 32174143.
- Bidani AK, Polichnowski AJ, Licea-Vargas H, Long J, Kliethermes S, Williamson GA, Griffin KA. BP fluctuations and the real-time dynamics of renal blood flow responses in conscious rats. J Am Soc Nephrol.32(2):324-336, 2020. PMID: 31792155.
Quillen Research Symposium - November, 2024
Congratulations to Quillen Medical Student Brice Walkowski on his outstanding research
poster presentation titled “Effects of a Forever Chemical on Renal Hemodynamics and
Injury in Rats” at the 2024 Quillen Medical Student Research Symposium!
American Society of Nephrology Meeting - October, 2024
Congratulations to Quillen Medical Students Suzanna Camp (left), Blakeley Griffin
(center), and Patrick Means (right) on presenting their research poster titled “Effects
of Sex and Renal Mass on Podocyte Density in Rats” at the 2024 American Society of
Nephrology Meeting in San Diego, CA. Each received a travel award through the ASN
Kidney STARS program, which provided travel support, tailored events, and networking
opportunities at the conference.
Farewell Lunch for Jacqueline Chivers - July, 2024
Celebrating all of Jacqui’s hard-work, dedication, and achievements as Dr. Polichnowski’s
Lab Manager for 7 years! Thank you, Jacqui!
2024 Appalachian Student Research Forum
Congratulations to 4th year Quillen Medical Student, Blakeley Griffin, who received
a poster award at the 2024 Appalachian Student Research Forum for her presentation
titled “Sex Differences in Podocyte Density are Largely Due to Sex Differences in
Kidney Size”.
22nd Annual Quillen Medical Student Research Symposium
Congratulations to 2nd year Quillen Medical Students, Patrick Means and Suzanna Camp,
who presented their summer research projects at the 22nd Annual Quillen Medical Student
Research Symposium in September, 2023.
(Pictured left to right: Patrick Means, Dr. Aaron Polichnowski, and Suzanna Camp)
Barbara A. Horowitz and John M. Horowitz Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award and Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award
Congratulations to Zacharias (Alex) Coker who graduated from ETSU in May, 2023 and
is currently in Optometry school at Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, TN.
Alex received the Barbara A. Horowitz and John M. Horowitz Outstanding Undergraduate
Research Award and Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award from the American Physiological
Society at the American Physiology Summit Meeting in Long Beach, California,
April 2023
Polichnowski's Lab – May, 2023
Pictured left to right: Rachel Grindstaff (Graduate Student), Alex Coker (Undergraduate
Student), Dr. Aaron Polichnowski,
Marie Wright (Undergraduate Student), Jacqueline Chivers (Lab Manager and Research
Technician), and Tasha Phillips (Research Technician).