Alfred K. Cheung, M.D.
Professor of Medicine
Executive Director of Dialysis
Chief, Division of Nephrology
801-581-6427 Phone
801-581-4750 Fax
Office Address:
Ezekiel R & Edna Dumke Building
85 N Medical Drive East
Room 201
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Research Interests:
Dr. Alfred Cheung’s research has two primary foci.† The first is laboratory research where the efforts are directed towards the development of strategies to prevent hemodialysis vascular access stenosis using local drug delivery systems. The main strategy of this project is to employ drug delivery platforms that are thermosensitive (thus injectable), nontoxic, biodegradable (thus obviate surgical removal), and allow delayed release (thus allowing for wound healing after arteriovenous graft placement) and sustained release. One goal is to examine the efficacy and specificity of anti-proliferative drugs on both arterial and venous smooth muscle cells. The mechanism of actions of some of these drugs is also explored in cell culture models. A second goal is to develop polymers with characteristics that fulfill the specific requirements for the local delivery. A third goal to examine the pharmacokinetics of the perivascularly delivered drugs across native blood vessels and synthetic grafts in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo. A final goal is to examine the safety and efficacy of these strategies in experimental animal models of vascular access stenosis. This project utilizes many research techniques, including tissue culture, gel electrophoresis, high-performance liquid chromatography, PCR, autoradiography, immunoblotting and immunoassays, microarray, proteomics, polymer chemistry, in vitro vascular tissue models for pharmacokinetic studies, animal surgery, various histology techniques, 3-dimensional image reconstruction, vascular sonography, magnetic resonance imaging, mathematical modeling, statistical analysis and relational database.
The second research focus of Dr. Cheung is clinical investigation related to chronic kidney disease and dialysis. Some of the ongoing projects are secondary analyses of the multicenter Hemodialysis trial (HEMO Study) sponsored by the NIDDK in which Dr. Cheung served as the P.I. of the Utah Clinical Center, analysis of the preserved plasma samples and data from an ancillary project of the HEMO Study examining lipids and lipoproteins which was initiated and organized by Dr. Cheung, and epidemiologic studies of cardiovascular risk factors in dialysis patients. Dr. Cheung has also organized and chairs a Kidney Disease Research Consortium, with the primary objective of conducting multicenter observational and interventional studies related to chronic kidney disease and dialysis. This consortium is currently comprised of 29 clinical centers which are mostly academic centers.† Several projects are currently being planned with the consortium members. These clinical projects are fertile training opportunities for the clinical research fellows who are interested in epidemiology research involving large national databases, in-depth single-center or multi-center observational studies, and interventional trials.
Recent Publications:
Zhu W, Masaki T, Bae YH, Rathi R, Cheung AK, Kern SE: Development of a sustained-release system for perivascular delivery of dipyridamole. J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater 77:135-143, 2006.
Goldfarb-Rumyantzev AS, Leypoldt JK, Nelson N, Kutner NG, Cheung AK: A crossover study of short daily haemodialysis. Nephrol Dial Transplant 21:166-175, 2006
Delmez JA, Yan G, Bailey J, Beck GJ, Beddhu S, Cheung AK, Kaysen GA, Levey AS, Sarnak MJ, Schwab SJ, the Hemodialysis (HEMO) Study Group: Cerebrovascular disease in maintenance hemodialysis patients: Results of the HEMO Study. Am J Kidney Dis 47:131-138, 2006.
Cheung AK, Rocco MV, Yan G, Leypoldt JK, Levin NW, Greene T, Agodoa L, Bailey J, Beck G, Clark W, Levey AS, Ornt DB, Schulman G, Schwab SJ, Teehan BP, Eknoyan G for HEMO Study Group: Serum beta-2-microglobulin level predicts mortality in dialysis patients: Results of the HEMO study. J Am Soc Nephrol 17:546-555, 2006.
Goldfarb-Rumyantzev AS, Cheung AK, Habib AN, Wang BJ, Lin SJ, Baird BC, Naiman N, Cannon-Albright L: A population-based assessment of the familial component of chronic kidney disease mortality. Am J Nephrol 26:142-148, 2006.
Goldfarb-Rumyantzev AS, Hurdle JF, Baird BC, Stoddard G, Wang Z, Scandling JD, Barenbaum LL, Cheung AK: The role of pre-emptive re-transplant in graft and recipient outcome. Nephrol Dial Transplant 21:1355-1364, 2006.
Goteti K, Masaki T, Kuji T, Leypoldt JK, Cheung AK, Kern SE: Perivascular tissue pharmacokinetics of dipyridamole. Pharm Res 23:718-728, 2006.
Kuji T, Masaki T, Li L, Zhuplatov S, Terry CM, Zhu W, Goteti K, Leypoldt JK, Rathi R, Blumenthal DK, Kern SE, Cheung AK: Efficacy of local dipyridamole therapy in a porcine model of arteriovenous graft stenosis. Kidney Int 69:2179-2185, 2006.
Habib AN, Baird BC, Leypoldt JK, Cheung AK, Goldfarb-Rumyantzev AS: The association of lipid levels with mortality in patients on chronic peritoneal dialysis. Nephrol Dial Transplant 21:2881-2892, 2006.
Zhu W, Masaki T, Cheung AK, Kern SE: Cellular pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of dipyridamole in vascular smooth muscle cells. Biochem Pharmacol 72:956-964, 2006.
Lee RM, Masaki T, Yang HS, Liu J, Chen J, Li L, Blumenthal DK, Cheung AK: Different signaling responses to anti-proliferative agents in human aortic and venous smooth muscle cells. J Cell Biochem 99:835-844, 2006.
Terry CM, Blumenthal DK, Sikharam S, Li L, Kuji T, Kern SE, Cheung AK: Evaluation of histological techniques for quantifying haemodialysis arteriovenous (AV) graft hyperplasia. Nephrol Dial Transplant 21:3172-3179, 2006.
Li L, Blumenthal DK, Masaki T, Terry CM, Cheung AK: Differential effects of imatinib on PDGF-induced proliferation and PDGF receptor signaling in human arterial and venous smooth muscle cells. J Cell Biochem 99:1553-1563, 2006.
Thekkedath UR, Chirananthavat T, Leypoldt JK, Cheung AK, Mohammad SF: Fibrinogen fragments from uremic plasma inhibit platelet aggregation and expression of glycoprotein IIb-IIIa. Am J Hematol 81:915-926, 2006.
Zhuplatov SB, Masaki T, Blumenthal DK, Cheung AK: Mechanism of dipyridamole's action in inhibition of venous and arterial smooth muscle cell proliferation. Basic Clin Pharm Tox 99:431-439, 2006.
Chonchol M, Goldenberg I, Moss AJ, McNitt S, Cheung AK: Risk factors for sudden cardiac death in patients with chronic renal insufficiency and left ventricular dysfunction. Am J Nephrol 27:7-14, 2007.
Ramkumar N, Murtaugh MA, Cheung AK, Beddhu S: Lack of synergistic effects of metabolic syndrome and plasma fibrinogen on coronary events and mortality in moderate CKD. Am J Kidney Dis 49:356-364, 2007.
Kuji T, Masaki T, Li, L, Cheung AK: Expression of C-reactive protein at in myointimal hyperplasia in a porcine arteriovenous graft model. Nephrol Dial Transplant 22:2469-2475, 2007.
Li L, Terry CM, Blumenthal DK, Kuji T, Masaki T, Kwan BC, Zhuplatov I, Leypoldt JK, Cheung AK: Cellular and morphological changes during neointimal hyperplasia development in a porcine arteriovenous graft model. Nephrol Dial Transplant 22:3139-3146, 2007.
Beddhu S, Cheung AK, Larive B, Greene T, Kaysen GA, Levey AS, Rocco M, Sarnak M, Toto R, Eknoyan G, Hemodialysis (HEMO) Study group: Inflammation and inverse associations of body mass index and serum creatinine with mortality in hemodialysis patients. J Ren Nutr 17:372-380, 2007.
Habib AN, Baird BC, Cheung AK, Goldfarb-Rumyantzev AS: The association of lipid-modifying medications with mortality in patients on chronic peritoneal dialysis. Am J Kidney Dis 50:791-802, 2007.
Cheung AK, Greene T, Leypoldt JK, Yan G, Allon M, Delmez J, Levey AS, Levin NW, Rocco MV, Schulman G, Eknoyan G for HEMO Study Group: Association between serum beta-2-microglobulin level
