Who is Jeff Sands?
Researcher and Clinician
Jeff was born in Boston, MA. When he was young, he
was fascinated by the manned space program and by the US going to the moon
in the 1960s. That started his interest in science. In addition, he always
enjoyed math. However, he found that he enjoyed applying math more than
performing pure math.
Experiments Beat Modeling
When it came time to select a college, Jeff chose
Harvard College. He chose Harvard because he felt that it would provide a
top-notch liberal arts education while also providing a solid math and
science education. While in college, Jeff began looking for a senior honor
thesis project.
Originally, he wanted to perform mathematical
modeling of proximal tubule function in the kidney. However, his advisor
steered him to a renal physiologist at Harvard Medical School (Harvard had
a Physiology Department in the 1970s). Jeff was allowed to design and
execute his own experiments using electrophysiology. He found this
experience to be extremely interesting and wanted to continue studying
renal physiology. He knew this would mean either pursuing a Ph.D. or an
M.D. degree. He graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in applied math in
1977.
M.D. or Ph.D.?
As he was trying to decide between pursuing an M.D.
or a Ph.D. degree, Jeff’s advisors suggested he should think about getting
an M.D. degree, since they thought that researchers with M.D. degrees had
an easier time getting National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants to
support their research. Of course, as it turns out, the opposite is true.
However, Jeff followed their advice and applied to medical school at
Boston University School of Medicine.
Medical School
Once in medical school Jeff focused on internal
medicine and then did a nephrology fellowship so that he could get back to
doing renal physiology. He found that studying the urine concentrating
mechanism was, for him, an excellent combination of applied math,
mathematical modeling, and intriguing physiological questions.
After Dr. Sands graduated from Medical School in
1981, he first did an Internal Medicine residency at the University of
Chicago. After 2 years, he moved to Bethesda, MD, to the NIH for a
postdoctoral fellowship in renal physiology. In 1988, he did a clinical
nephrology fellowship at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, as a condition
of his joining the faculty at that school in 1989.
Being an M.D. and a Medical School Faculty Member
Currently, Dr. Sands holds the position of Professor of Medicine and of
Physiology and Director of the Renal Division at Emory University. His job
involves research, teaching, patient care, and administration.
His major focus is on his NIH-funded renal physiology research. Dr.
Sands’ research is directed at understanding the physiology of the renal
inner medulla and the urine concentrating mechanism. He is currently
studying the molecular physiology of urea transporters and water channels.
Dr. Sands uses a combination of isolated perfused tubule studies to
measure transport, antibodies to measure changes in the amount or location
of the transport proteins, and Northern analysis to measure changes in
mRNA. Studies are performed in rats treated to produce physiological and
pathophysiological models of human conditions. Research areas being
addressed include: 1) long-term regulation of urea transport proteins in
rat models of human diseases such as diabetes, 2) mechanisms by which
vasopressin rapidly regulates urea transport, and 3) regulation of urea
transporter genes.
In addition, he gives lectures to medical students
and teaches students, residents, and fellows on rounds in the teaching
hospitals. As Director of the Renal Division, Dr. Sands leads a group of
25-30 faculty and 15 fellows.
For Fun
Dr. Sands enjoys playing tennis and bridge, watching
sports, and doing things with his kids.
He also is active in his professional societies
(American Physiological Society and American Society for Nephrology). For
APS, Dr. Sands has dual roles: that of Editor of American Journal of
Physiology: Renal Physiology and an elected member of the APS Council,
which governs the Society.
Advice for a Graduate Student
This is difficult to answer since I was never a
graduate student. My advice would be to learn as many techniques as
possible, publish papers, and read successful grants written by your
mentor(s).
Recent Publications
1. Kato, A., J.D. Klein, C. Zhang, and J.M. Sands.
Angiotensin II increases vasopressin-stimulated facilitated urea
permeability in rat terminal IMCDs. Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol.
279: F835-F840, 2000.m.
J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 279: F835-F840, 2000.
2. Bradford, A.D., J.M. Terris, C.A. Ecelbarger, J.D.
Klein, J.M. Sands, C.-L. Chou, and M.A. Knepper. 97 and 117 kDa forms of
the collecting duct urea transporter UT-A1 are due to different states of
glycosylation.
Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 281: F133-F143, 2001.
3. Bagnasco, S.M., T. Peng, M.G. Janech, A.
Karakashian, and J.M. Sands. Cloning and characterization of the human
urea transporter UT-A1 and mapping of the human Slc14a2 gene.
Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 281: F400-F406, 2001.
4. Timmer, R.T., J.D. Klein, S.M. Bagnasco, J.J.
Doran, J.W. Verlander, R.B. Gunn, and J.M. Sands. Localization of the urea
transporter UT-B protein in human and rat erythrocytes and tissues.
Am. J. Physiol. Cell Physiol. 281: C1318-C1325, 2001.
5. Zhang, C., J.M. Sands, and J.D. Klein. Vasopressin
rapidly increases the phosphorylation of the UT-A1 urea transporter
activity in rat IMCDs through PKA.
Am.
J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 282: F85-F90, 2002.
6. Kim, Y.-H., D.-U. Kim, K.-H. Han, J.-Y. Jung, J.M.
Sands, M.A. Knepper, K.M. Madsen, and J. Kim. Expression of urea
transporters in the developing rat kidney.
Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 282: F530-F540, 2002.
7. Peng, T., J.M. Sands, and S.M. Bagnasco.
Glucocorticoids inhibit transcription and expression of the UT-A urea
transporter gene.
Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 282: F853-F858, 2002.
8. Klein, J.D., D.L. Quach, J.M. Cole, K. Disher, A.K.
Mongiu, X. Wang, K.E. Bernstein, and J.M. Sands. Impaired urine
concentration and the absence of tissue ACE: the involvement of medullary
transport proteins.
Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 283: 517-524, 2002.
9. Wagner, L., J.D. Klein, J.M. Sands, and C. Baylis.
Urea transporters are widely distributed in endothelial cells and mediate
inhibition of L-arginine transport.
Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 283: 578-582, 2002.
10. Kim, D.U., J.M. Sands, and J.D. Klein. Changes in
renal medullary transport proteins during uncontrolled diabetes mellitus
in rats.
Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 285: F303-F309, 2003.
11. Jung, J.Y., K.M. Madsen, K.H. Han, C.W. Yang,
M.A. Knepper, J.M. Sands, and J. Kim. Expression of urea transporters in
potassium depleted mouse kidney.
Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 285: F1210-F1224, 2003.
12. D.U. Kim, J.M. Sands, and J.D. Klein. Role of
vasopressin in diabetes mellitus-induced changes in medullary transport
proteins involved in urine concentration in Brattleboro rats.
Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 286: F760-F766, 2004.
13. Li, C., J.D. Klein, W. Wang, M.A. Knepper, S.
Nielsen, J.M. Sands, and J. Frokiaer. Altered expression of urea
transporters in response to ureteral obstruction.
Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 286: F1154-F1162, 2004.
14. Fröhlich, O., J.D. Klein, P.M. Smith, J.M. Sands,
and R.B. Gunn. Urea transport in MDCK cells that are stably transfected
with UT-A1.
Am. J. Physiol. Cell Physiol. 286: C1264-C1270, 2004.
15. Lim, S.W., C. Li, B.K. Sun, W.Y. Kim, K.H. Han,
Y.W. Oh, J.U. Lee, P.F. Kador, M.A. Knepper, J.M. Sands, J. Kim, and C.W.
Yang. Long-term treatment with cyclosporine decreases aquaporins and urea
transporters in rat kidney.
Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 287: F139-F151, 2004.
16. Kim, D.U., J.D. Klein, S. Racine, S.P. Murrell,
and J. M. Sands. Urea may regulate urea transporter protein abundance
during osmotic diuresis. Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol. 287: in
press, 2004.
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