Quick Facts

Why do African Americans have higher incidence of kidney disease? Linda Kao, Rulan S. Parekh, Lucy Meoni and Dean Michael J. Klag found one reason may be a specific genetic variation in the MYH9 gene that is common among those with West African ancestry. The discovery may direct drug therapy and potential screening of patients.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth-leading cause of death in the U.S. and almost exclusively afflicts smokers. Why do some smokers avoid it while others get it? Shyam Biswal has shown a master antioxidant regulatory gene called
NRF2 plays a key role. His work could point the way to new possibilities for treatment. 

When the Malaria Research Institute was founded in 2001, most efforts to combat malaria focused on conventional methods that had been pursued for at least half a century. The Institute set out to find new ways to fight this ancient disease by gathering scientists from across Johns Hopkins to attack the disease from every angle—from vaccines and treatment drugs to quicker diagnostic tests, to building a “better” mosquito. One of the JHMRI’s first efforts was to establish a field research site in malaria-endemic southwestern Zambia. “Malaria is a disease of tropical areas. It is not a disease of ivory towers,” notes entomologist Clive Shiff.

The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute was founded in 2001 with a $100 million gift from Michael R. Bloomberg, in whose honor the Bloomberg School is named. The donation allowed the Bloomberg School to hire more faculty, build new laboratory space and establish a malaria research site in Africa.