About me
Adjunct Professor of Pathology at the Department of Laboratory Medicine as of 1 September 2020. Primary position: Doctor at Karolinska University Hospital
Research description
Jaakko Patrakka is a clinical pathologist and researches kidney function and the mecha- nisms of chronic kidney disease. More specifically he is studying glomeruli – the network of millions of capillaries in the kidneys that produces primary urine. Glomerular diseases are the most common cause of death by kidney failure. With a better understanding of glomeruli and their diseases, Jaakko Patrakka hopes to contribute to the development of new diagnostic and prognostic tools and new drugs.
His research involves the use of genetic and molecular tools, and spans the mapping of mechanisms in animal models to the search for biomarkers in patient material. Single-cell sequencing has also enabled Jaakko Patrakka’s group to characterise different cell types in the kidneys’ heterogeneous tissue, which has led to the discovery of a previously unknown glomerular cell type.
The group is also collaborating with AstraZeneca on the development of new drug candidates.