The Center for Integrative Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease (CICMD) is pleased to welcome Dr. Thu Le, MD, Thomas & Mary Cesario Endowed Chair of the Department of Medicine and Professor of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine, for an invited seminar on September 23, 2026, from 2:00–3:00 PM. Dr. Le was appointed Chair of the UCI Department of Medicine in May 2025.
Dr. Le is a physician-scientist and nephrologist whose research focuses on hypertension, chronic kidney disease, genetics, and the molecular mechanisms that contribute to kidney disease progression. Her work spans basic, translational, and clinical research, with a particular interest in moving discoveries about genetic susceptibility from experimental models toward individualized approaches to prevention and treatment.
A major focus of Dr. Le’s research is GSTM1 (glutathione S-transferase mu 1), a gene involved in the body’s defense against oxidative stress. Her research has helped demonstrate that loss of GSTM1 is associated with greater susceptibility to kidney injury and faster progression of chronic kidney disease. Her work has also explored an intriguing gene diet interaction: individuals lacking GSTM1 may derive particular kidney-protective effects from compounds found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli.
Dr. Le has taken these discoveries from the laboratory toward clinical translation, including NIH-funded research evaluating sulforaphane, a bioactive compound derived from cruciferous vegetables, as a potential precision-medicine strategy for chronic kidney disease. Her current NIH-funded work continues to investigate the GSTM1 metabolic pathway as a therapeutic target in kidney disease.
Seminar
“GSTM1 in Kidney Disease: From the Bench to the Dining Table and Clinical Trial, a Journey Toward Precision Medicine”
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
2:00–3:00 PM
Communicore – C1-009 Lecture Hall
To request a Zoom link please register: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/Ea6DQ94S5t?origin=lprLink
Please join CICMD for this opportunity to learn how discoveries in genetics, nutrition, and kidney biology are being translated into new approaches to precision medicine.