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  • Charles E. Wood, Ph.D.
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  • Kirk P. Conrad, M.D.
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Kirk P. Conrad, M.D.

Professor

(352) 392-2798
Office: MSB MG-40A
kpconrad@ufl.edu
PubMed Listing
Biosketch

Co-Director of the Reproductive and Perinatal Biology Research Program (http://www.perinatal.ufl.edu)

Research Interests

Dr. Conrad’s research interests cover three general areas. The first involves elucidation of the mechanisms underlying the remarkable vasodilation and increased arterial compliance during normal pregnancy with emphasis on the hormone relaxin, vascular endothelial growth factor, vascular MMP-2, endothelin_1-32, the endothelial ET_B receptor subtype, and nitric oxide. A related, new translational aim involves the potential therapeutic use of relaxin in preeclampsia. The second general area of research focuses on local relaxin ligand-receptor expression and function in arteries. The third area mainly deals with hypoxia-inducible transcription factors in the human placenta and their potential role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.

Recent Publications:

Rajakumar A., Doty K.D., Daftary A., Markovic N., and Conrad K.P. Expression of von Hippel Lindau protein in placentae from women with normal pregnancy and preeclampsia. Placenta 27:411-421. 2006.

Smith M.C., Murdoch A.P., Danielson L.A., Conrad K.P. and Davison J.M. Relaxin has a role in establishing a renal response in pregnancy. Fertility and Sterility 86:253-255, 2006.

Jeyabalan A., Kerchner L.J., Fisher M.C., McGuane J.T., Doty K.D., and Conrad K.P. Matrix metalloproteinase-2 activity, protein, mRNA and tissue inhibitors in small arteries from pregnant and relaxin-treated nonpregnant rats. J Applied Physiol. 100:1955-1963, 2006.

Smith M.C., Danielson L.A., Conrad K.P., and Davison J.M. Influence of recombinant human relaxin on renal haemodynamics in humans. J Am Soc Nephrol. 17:3192-7, 2006.

Novak J., Parry L.J., Matthews J., Kerchner L.J., Indovina K., Hanley-Yanez K., Doty K.D., Debrah D.O., Shroff S.G., and Conrad K.P. Identification of relaxin ligand-receptor expression and function in arteries. FASEB J. 20:2352-62, 2006.

Debrah D.O., Novak J., Matthews J.E., Ramirez R.J., Shroff S.G., and Conrad K.P. Relaxin is essential for systemic vasodilation and increased global arterial compliance during early pregnancy in conscious rats. Endocrinol. 147:5126-31, 2006.

Jeyabalan A., Novak J., Doty K.D., Matthews J., Fisher M.C., Kerchner L.J., and Conrad K.P. Vascular matrix metalloproteinase-9 mediates the inhibition of myogenic reactivity in small arteries isolated from rats after short term administration of relaxin. Endocrinol., 148:189-97, 2007.

Rajakumar A., Jeyabalan A., Markovic N., Ness R., Gilmore C., and Conrad K.P. Placental HIF-1α, HIF-2α, membrane and soluble VEGF receptor-1 proteins are not increased in normotensive pregnancies complicated by late onset intrauterine growth restriction. Am. J. Physiol., Reg. Int. Comp. Physiol., 293:R766-74, 2007

Rajakumar A., Michael H.M., Daftary A., Jeyabalan A., Gilmour C., and Conrad K.P. Placental proteasomal activity in preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction: implication for expression of hypoxia inducible transcription factor-a proteins. Placenta, in press, 2008.

Recent Book Chapters and Invited Reviews:

Jeyabalan A. and Conrad K.P. Renal Function during Normal Pregnancy and Preeclampsia. Front. Biosci., 12:2425-37, 2007.

Lindheimer M.D., Conrad K.P., and Umans J.J. The Normal and Diseased Kidney in Pregnancy. In: Diseases of the Kidney and Urinary Tract: Eighth Edition. Volume 3, Chapter 74. Schrier R.W., editor. Lippincott Williams & Wilkens, U.S.A., 2007.

Conrad K.P. Renal Function and Volume Homeostasis. In: Principles and Practice of Medical Therapy in Pregnancy, 4th edition. 2007. Gleicher N., ed. www.medicaltherapyinpregnancy.com.

Jeyabalan A., Novak J., Shroff SG, and Conrad K.P. The vascular actions of relaxin. In: Relaxin and Related Peptides. Agoulnik A.A. ed. Landes Bioscience, U.S.A., 2007.

Lindheimer M.D., Conrad K.P., and Karamanchi A.S. Renal Physiology and Disease in Pregnancy. In: The Kidney. Physiology and Pathophysiology: Fourth Edition. Volume 2, Chapter 93. Seldin D.W., and Giebisch, G., editors. Lippincott Williams & Wilkens, U.S.A., 2007.