The Division of Nephrology at the Columbia University Department of Medicine is one of the highest ranked nephrology programs in the nation. The program has world renowned faculty members and offers comprehensive clinical services, cutting edge research, and innovative training programs. The research of the Gharavi lab focuses on the genetics of kidney diseases. They aim to identify the genes and pathways underlying kidney disorders in order to facilitate the development of new diagnostic tools and therapies. The lab is comprised of 20 members, half of whom are research oriented (technicians and post docs), and the other half of whom are clinical (clinical coordinators, genetic counselors and nephrologists). The lab extracts DNA to be used for next generation sequencing, Sanger sequencing, quantitative PCR, and microarrays.
Over the years, the lab has used a variety of approaches for DNA extraction. Originally, they used phenol/chloroform, which was later replaced with Qiagen manual spin columns kits, before they ultimately switched to automated DNA extraction.