Joachim H. Ix, MD, FASN
ASN Highlights - General Nephrology & CKD Team
Dr. Ix is Professor and Chief of the Division of Nephrology-Hypertension at the University of California San Diego. He is a nephrologist, epidemiologist, and clinical trialist. His research focuses in two main areas: novel therapies in chronic kidney disease mineral bone disorders (CKD-MBD), and noninvasive assessment of kidney tubule health. Chronic kidney disease leads to altered homeostasis of calcium, phosphate, and associated regulatory hormones, which are strongly associated with vascular calcification and cardiac structural abnormalities. His team has used large observational epidemiologic studies to quantify the strength of associations of these factors with cardiovascular disease and related outcomes in CKD patients. The strength and consistency of these findings makes intervention to improve CKD-MBD an important target in lowering cardiovascular disease event risk in CKD patients. He is now evaluating the safety and efficacy of novel therapies that lower intestinal phosphate absorption in CKD patients in multi-center randomized clinical trials. Second, his team is interested in identifying novel non-invasive markers of kidney tubule cell health. Pathologic studies demonstrate that kidney tubule atrophy and fibrosis are important determinants of kidney disease progression, but are poorly captured by glomerular markers of kidney health. Dr. Ix and his team have evaluated a myriad of blood and urine proteins that non-invasively assess the health of kidney tubule cells, and are working to determine if these markers improve assessment of risk of future kidney disease progression and cardiovascular disease risk. In regards to service to the ASN, Dr. Ix served on the Program Committee for Kidney Week 2016, and serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.