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Darren Yuen

MD, FRCPC, PhD

Scientist

Email: darren.yuen@mail.utoronto.ca
Tel: 416-867-7412

Labs

Darren Yuen Lab ❯

Biography

My lab is interested in understanding novel mechanisms of fibrovascular injury in the kidney, using both cell and animal models of disease, with the goal of using the knowledge gained to develop innovative new therapies for kidney disease. Research projects span the spectrum from basic cell biology to clinical studies, including the investigation of cellular processes underlying fibroblast and endothelial cell behaviour, the testing of potential new treatments in animal models of disease, and the examination of structure-function relationships in patients with kidney disease.

Recent Publications

  1. Sridhar, VS, Kugathasan, L, Lytvyn, Y, Liu, H, Deng, Y, Lovblom, LE et al.. Efficacy, Mechanisms and Safety of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors in Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2025; :. doi: 10.2215/CJN.0000000951. PubMed PMID:41385300 .
  2. Yeung, ESH, Tran, DT, Batchu, SN, Advani, SL, Liu, Y, Kaur, H et al.. Biphasic actions of the adenosine A2a receptor antagonist istradefylline in mice with obstructive uropathy. Sci Rep. 2025;15 (1):41110. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-24912-w. PubMed PMID:41266603 PubMed Central PMC12635236.
  3. Fang, T, Qureshi, MA, Jdiaa, SS, Aboghanem, A, Yeung, K, Saad, M et al.. Development and Evaluation of a Kidney Point-Of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Training Program for Nephrology Fellows: A Quality Improvement Study. Can J Kidney Health Dis. 2025;12 :20543581251378793. doi: 10.1177/20543581251378793. PubMed PMID:41229732 PubMed Central PMC12602957.
  4. Boccella, N, Yu, G, Seaman, S, Feng, Y, Lee, J, Tomassoni-Ardori, F et al.. ANTXR1 blockade enhances cardiac function in preclinical models of heart failure. Nat Cardiovasc Res. 2025;4 (11):1521-1538. doi: 10.1038/s44161-025-00725-y. PubMed PMID:41039173 PubMed Central PMC12611763.
  5. He, X, Ballestas, ER, Zeng, L, Zhang, T, McEvoy, CM, Misra, PS et al.. Podocyte YAP and TAZ hyperactivation drives glomerular epithelial proliferative diseases in mice and humans. Sci Transl Med. 2025;17 (804):eadq3852. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adq3852. PubMed PMID:40560997 .
  6. Mitrofanova, A, Fontanella, AM, Molina, J, Zhang, G, Mallela, SK, Severino, LU et al.. The enzyme SMPDL3b in podocytes decouples proteinuria from chronic kidney disease progression in experimental Alport Syndrome. Kidney Int. 2025;108 (2):253-270. doi: 10.1016/j.kint.2025.04.024. PubMed PMID:40451505 .
  7. Wu, E, Macklin, S, Zhang, Y, Thai, K, Nghiem, L, Di Ciano-Oliveira, C et al.. Induction of proximal tubular proliferation and lengthening in response to sodium glucose linked cotransporter-2 inhibition in experimental rats. J Diabetes Investig. 2025;16 (7):1232-1242. doi: 10.1111/jdi.70043. PubMed PMID:40260754 PubMed Central PMC12209515.
  8. Hysi, E, Baek, J, Koven, A, He, X, Ulloa Severino, L, Wu, Y et al.. A first-in-human study of quantitative ultrasound to assess transplant kidney fibrosis. Nat Med. 2025;31 (3):970-978. doi: 10.1038/s41591-024-03417-5. PubMed PMID:40033112 PubMed Central PMC11922760.
  9. McEvoy, CM, Yuen, DA. Not too much, not too little-just the right amount: the story of YAP in the podocyte. Kidney Int. 2024;105 (6):1157-1159. doi: 10.1016/j.kint.2024.02.016. PubMed PMID:38777398 .
  10. Ishikita, A, Karur, GR, Hanneman, K, Yuen, DA, Chaturvedi, RR, Friedberg, MK et al.. Myocardial Extracellular Volume Fraction Varies With Hemodynamic Load and After Pulmonary Valve Replacement in TOF. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. 2024;17 (7):830-832. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmg.2024.02.013. PubMed PMID:38639696 .
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Affiliations & Other Activities

  • Staff Physician, Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, St. Michael’s Hospital
  • Assistant Professor, Medicine, University of Toronto