Physiology Seminar OCT 2: Dr. Frank Park “Paradoxical Functions of Cell-Cycle Arrest in Acute Kidney Injury” Pharmaceutical Sciences, UTHSC CoP

The Department of Physiology Seminar Series is held weekly on Thursdays. Please Join Us!

This week we are pleased to announce

Dr. Frank Park, PhD

Associate Professor
Pharmaceutical Sciences
UTHSC College of Pharmacy

Will present his seminar titled

"Paradoxical Functions of Cell-Cycle Arrest in Acute Kidney Injury"

Thursday, October 2, 2025
3:30 PM to 5:00 PM
Cancer Research Building Auditorium
Refreshments will be provided.

Summary:
During acute kidney injury (AKI), cell-cycle regulation in tubular epithelial cells is a key determinant of repair outcomes. Unlike many tissues where arrest leads predominantly to senescence or apoptosis, transient G2/M arrest in the kidney provides a protective window to repair DNA damage, though persistent arrest drives maladaptive signaling and fibrosis. In the Park lab, they have studied various cell-cycle regulators, including TRIP13 and CDC20, and DNA repair proteins such as DNA-PKcs, to determine whether tubular epithelial cells recover function or transition to maladaptive phenotypes following AKI.

Brief Bio:
Dr. Frank Park is an Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) in Memphis, TN. He received his B.Sc. in Physiology from McGill University, his Ph.D. in Physiology from the Medical College of Wisconsin. and completed postdoctoral training in gene therapy at Stanford University. His multidisciplinary research program integrates molecular and cellular approaches with whole animal model systems to investigate mechanisms of kidney injury and repair, as well as develop therapeutic gene and cell therapy strategies for hematological disorders, such as 13-thalassemia and sickle cell disease.

He serves as Associate Editor for Physiological Genomics and as an editorial board member for AJP-Renal Physiology. and has chaired and participated in numerous NIH. DoD CDMRP, and AHA peer review panels over the years. Through his research work, Dr. Park continues to advance medical science at both basic and translational levels, and beyond his research, Dr. Park's leadership in peer review and editorial service reflects his long-standing commitment to advancing the fields of nephrology and gene therapy.