Becknell Lab

Congenital disorders, including congenital obstructive uropathy, are the leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children. Apart from surgery to relieve obstruction and repair its anatomic origins, there are no specific medical interventions to prevent progressive CKD in children with obstructive uropathy. Urinary tract infections (UTI) rank among the most common bacterial infections in children, and certain children who have them may develop permanent renal scarring. While antibiotics can eradicate uropathogenic bacteria, there are no specific therapies to prevent renal scarring from UTI. The Becknell Lab therefore aims to identify and implement medical therapies to prevent kidney injury in response to obstructive and infectious insults. To identify novel treatment options, the Becknell Lab studies the mechanisms responsible for kidney injury and recovery in response to urinary tract obstruction and infection. In obstructive uropathy, the primary focus is to clarify the protective roles of urothelium in preserving kidney function and preventing kidney injury. The lab’s team aims to manipulate the urothelium to enhance its renoprotective mechanisms and to utilize urothelial biomarkers to identify patients with clinically significant urinary tract obstruction. In the setting of urinary tract infections (UTI), the Becknell Lab team studies the role of phagocyte derived antimicrobial peptides in eradicating bacterial uropathogens and preventing kidney injury. We utilize the laboratory mouse as a preclinical model of urinary tract obstruction and infection. We employ transgenic and knockout strategies to manipulate specific genetic pathways and test their roles in these disease states. We reply on cell culture based experiments to investigate these pathways at a mechanistic level. We collaborate with partners in nephrology and urology to translate our discoveries to patients with obstructive uropathy and UTI. Click to View Publications Lab Staff

Michael Brian Becknell, MD, PhD Principal Investigator Brian.Becknell2@NationwideChildrens.org Michael Brian Becknell grew up in central Ohio and attended Kenyon College. He received his medical and doctorate degrees from The Ohio State University and completed his pediatric residency and nephrology fellowship training at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Dr. Becknell undertook his postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Kirk McHugh, PhD, where he developed the skills needed to study the roles of urothelium during states of urinary tract obstruction and infection. In 2013, Dr. Becknell joined the faculty at Nationwide Children’s Hospital as a principal investigator.

Hanna Cortado, MS Senior Research Associate Hanna.Cortado@NationwideChildrens.org Hanna received her bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from University of the Philippines. She worked in aquaculture research at the Southeast Asian Fisheries and Development Center before acquiring her master’s degree in Food Science and Technology at The Ohio State University, where she studied antibiotic resistance in gut microbiome in the laboratory of Hua Wang, PhD. After graduating, Hanna joined the Partida Lab in the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s and helped investigate aspects of cellular host immune responses to urinary tract infections. Hanna then had a brief stint at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia, working on animal models of osteosarcoma before joining the Becknell Lab in 2016. Currently, Hannah’s work with Dr. Becknell focuses on describing the role of RNase 6 in host defense against cystitis and pyelonephritis.

Rollin Li, BSc, MS Senior Research Associate Rollin.Li@NationwideChildrens.org Rollin joined the Becknell Lab in 2013. His work is focused on understanding the role of urothelium during urinary tract obstruction. He also collaborates with other labs in the center on projects requiring small animal surgical techniques. Previously, he worked with Sheryl Justice, PhD, to investigate the molecular interactions between host cells and bacteria in a mouse model of urinary tract infection (UTI). Rollin received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from Amoy University in China.

Gregory Ballash, DVM, PhD Postdoctoral Researcher Gregory.Ballash@NationwideChildrens.org Greg Ballash, DVM, PhD, joined the Becknell and Ruiz Rosado labs at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in 2021. As part of his postdoctoral training, Dr. Ballash will investigate the regulatory role of microRNAs during cystitis and pyelonephritis and utilize spatial transcriptomics to characterize the pathogenic mechanisms that underly pyelonephritis. Dr. Ballash is from Northeast Ohio. He received his bachelor’s degree from Baldwin-Wallace College before continuing his education and training at The Ohio State University, where he earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Master of Public Health and doctorate degrees. His doctorate research associated patient epidemiology with bacterial genomics to understand host and pathogen factors that increase the risk of sporadic and/or recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI). During this time, he completed an anatomic pathology residency at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Israel Cotzomi-Ortega, PhD Postdoctoral Researcher Israel.Cotzomi@NationwideChildrens.org Currently, as a postdoctoral researcher, Israel Cotzomi-Ortega, PhD, is studying the functional contribution of the NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) to the microbicidal capacity of neutrophils in vivo and in vitro. He is also evaluating the functional phenotypes and transcriptomes of macrophages during experimental urinary tract infection (UTI) by single-cell RNA-seq. He has also worked to elucidate the roles of immune phagocytes during experimental pyelonephritis induced by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli). Dr. Cotzomi-Ortega earned both his bachelor’s degree and doctorate in Chemistry Sciences from Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP) in Puebla, Mexico. His doctorate work focused on the role of autophagy in macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) secretion during breast cancer progression.

To identify novel treatment options, the Becknell Lab studies the mechanisms responsible for kidney injury and recovery in response to urinary tract obstruction and infection. In obstructive uropathy, the primary focus is to clarify the protective roles of urothelium in preserving kidney function and preventing kidney injury. The lab’s team aims to manipulate the urothelium to enhance its renoprotective mechanisms and to utilize urothelial biomarkers to identify patients with clinically significant urinary tract obstruction. In the setting of urinary tract infections (UTI), the Becknell Lab team studies the role of phagocyte derived antimicrobial peptides in eradicating bacterial uropathogens and preventing kidney injury. We utilize the laboratory mouse as a preclinical model of urinary tract obstruction and infection. We employ transgenic and knockout strategies to manipulate specific genetic pathways and test their roles in these disease states. We reply on cell culture based experiments to investigate these pathways at a mechanistic level. We collaborate with partners in nephrology and urology to translate our discoveries to patients with obstructive uropathy and UTI.

Click to View Publications

Lab Staff

Michael Brian Becknell, MD, PhD Principal Investigator Brian.Becknell2@NationwideChildrens.org

Michael Brian Becknell grew up in central Ohio and attended Kenyon College. He received his medical and doctorate degrees from The Ohio State University and completed his pediatric residency and nephrology fellowship training at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Dr. Becknell undertook his postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Kirk McHugh, PhD, where he developed the skills needed to study the roles of urothelium during states of urinary tract obstruction and infection. In 2013, Dr. Becknell joined the faculty at Nationwide Children’s Hospital as a principal investigator.

Hanna Cortado, MS Senior Research Associate Hanna.Cortado@NationwideChildrens.org

Hanna received her bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from University of the Philippines. She worked in aquaculture research at the Southeast Asian Fisheries and Development Center before acquiring her master’s degree in Food Science and Technology at The Ohio State University, where she studied antibiotic resistance in gut microbiome in the laboratory of Hua Wang, PhD. After graduating, Hanna joined the Partida Lab in the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s and helped investigate aspects of cellular host immune responses to urinary tract infections. Hanna then had a brief stint at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia, working on animal models of osteosarcoma before joining the Becknell Lab in 2016. Currently, Hannah’s work with Dr. Becknell focuses on describing the role of RNase 6 in host defense against cystitis and pyelonephritis.

Rollin Li, BSc, MS Senior Research Associate Rollin.Li@NationwideChildrens.org

Rollin joined the Becknell Lab in 2013. His work is focused on understanding the role of urothelium during urinary tract obstruction. He also collaborates with other labs in the center on projects requiring small animal surgical techniques. Previously, he worked with Sheryl Justice, PhD, to investigate the molecular interactions between host cells and bacteria in a mouse model of urinary tract infection (UTI). Rollin received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from Amoy University in China.

Gregory Ballash, DVM, PhD Postdoctoral Researcher Gregory.Ballash@NationwideChildrens.org

Greg Ballash, DVM, PhD, joined the Becknell and Ruiz Rosado labs at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in 2021. As part of his postdoctoral training, Dr. Ballash will investigate the regulatory role of microRNAs during cystitis and pyelonephritis and utilize spatial transcriptomics to characterize the pathogenic mechanisms that underly pyelonephritis.

Dr. Ballash is from Northeast Ohio. He received his bachelor’s degree from Baldwin-Wallace College before continuing his education and training at The Ohio State University, where he earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Master of Public Health and doctorate degrees. His doctorate research associated patient epidemiology with bacterial genomics to understand host and pathogen factors that increase the risk of sporadic and/or recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI). During this time, he completed an anatomic pathology residency at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Israel Cotzomi-Ortega, PhD Postdoctoral Researcher Israel.Cotzomi@NationwideChildrens.org

Currently, as a postdoctoral researcher, Israel Cotzomi-Ortega, PhD, is studying the functional contribution of the NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) to the microbicidal capacity of neutrophils in vivo and in vitro. He is also evaluating the functional phenotypes and transcriptomes of macrophages during experimental urinary tract infection (UTI) by single-cell RNA-seq. He has also worked to elucidate the roles of immune phagocytes during experimental pyelonephritis induced by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli).

Dr. Cotzomi-Ortega earned both his bachelor’s degree and doctorate in Chemistry Sciences from Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP) in Puebla, Mexico. His doctorate work focused on the role of autophagy in macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) secretion during breast cancer progression.

Lab Staff#

Lab Staff