James E. Balow, M.D.


ODIR
OFFICE OF THE CLINICAL DIRECTOR
NIDDK, National Institutes of Health
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Email: jimb@mail.nih.gov

James E. Balow, M.D.

Education / Previous Training and Experience:
B.S., College of St. Thomas, 1964
M.D., University of Minnesota, 1968


Research Statement:

Dr. Balow's research is focused on studies of the natural history, pathogenesis, and treatment of immunologically mediated glomerular diseases, particularly lupus nephritis and membranous nephropathy. Previous findings from this Section have demonstrated that intermittent pulse cyclophosphamide therapy has the highest therapeutic index among currently available immunosuppressive drug therapies in the treatment of proliferative forms of lupus nephritis.

Due to the intrinsic risk of gonadal toxicity of pulse cyclophosphamide therapy, current studies are designed to examine the efficacy and toxicity profile of alternative agents, particularly sirolimus, adenosine analogues, monoclonal antibodies.

The Kidney Disease Section is also currently conducting controlled therapeutic trials in membranous lupus nephropathy. Randomized studies comparing alternate day prednisone alone or in combination with either pulse cyclophosphamide or low-dose cyclosporine A are in progress.



Selected Publications:

1. Illei GG, Yarboro CH, Kuroiwa T, Schlimgen R, Austin HA, Tisdale JF, Chitkara P, Fleisher T, Klippel JH, Balow JE, Boumpas DT Long-term effects of combination treatment with fludarabine and low-dose pulse cyclophosphamide in patients with lupus nephritis. Rheumatology (Oxford)(46): 952-6, 2007. [Full Text/Abstract]

2. Musso C, Javor E, Cochran E, Balow JE, Gorden P Spectrum of renal diseases associated with extreme forms of insulin resistance. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol(1): 616-22, 2006. [Full Text/Abstract]

3. Balow JE Clinical presentation and monitoring of lupus nephritis. Lupus(14): 25-30, 2005. [Full Text/Abstract]

4. Srinivasan R, Balow JE, Sabnis S, Lundqvist A, Igarashi T, Takahashi Y, Austin H, Tisdale J, Barrett J, Geller N, Childs R Nephrotic syndrome: an under-recognised immune-mediated complication of non-myeloablative allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation. Br J Haematol(131): 74-9, 2005. [Full Text/Abstract]

5. Takada K, Arefayene M, Desta Z, Yarboro CH, Boumpas DT, Balow JE, Flockhart DA, Illei GG Cytochrome P450 pharmacogenetics as a predictor of toxicity and clinical response to pulse cyclophosphamide in lupus nephritis. Arthritis Rheum (50): 2202-10, 2004. [Full Text/Abstract]

6. Balow JE, Austin HA 3rd Maintenance therapy for lupus nephritis--something old, something new. N Engl J Med (350): 1044-6, 2004. [Full Text/Abstract]

7. Balow JE, Austin HA 3rd Maintenance therapy for lupus nephritis--something old, something new. N Engl J Med(350): 1044-6, 2004. [Full Text/Abstract]

8. Javor ED, Moran SA, Young JR, Cochran EK, DePaoli AM, Oral EA, Turman MA, Blackett PR, Savage DB, O''Rahilly S, Balow JE, Gorden P Proteinuric nephropathy in acquired and congenital generalized lipodystrophy: baseline characteristics and course during recombinant leptin therapy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab(89): 3199-207, 2004. [Full Text/Abstract]

9. Weening JJ, D''Agati VD, Schwartz MM, Seshan SV, Alpers CE, Appel GB, Balow JE, Bruijn JA, Cook T, Ferrario F, Fogo AB, Ginzler EM, Hebert L, Hill G, Hill P, Jennette JC, Kong NC, Lesavre P, Lockshin M, Looi LM, Makino H, Moura LA, Nagata M The classification of glomerulonephritis in systemic lupus erythematosus revisited. J Am Soc Nephrol (15): 241-50, 2004. [Full Text/Abstract]

10. Weening JJ, D''Agati VD, Schwartz MM, Seshan SV, Alpers CE, Appel GB, Balow JE, Bruijn JA, Cook T, Ferrario F, Fogo AB, Ginzler EM, Hebert L, Hill G, Hill P, Jennette JC, Kong NC, Lesavre P, Lockshin M, Looi LM, Makino H, Moura LA, Nagata M The classification of glomerulonephritis in systemic lupus erythematosus revisited. J Am Soc Nephrol(15): 241-50, 2004. [Full Text/Abstract]

11. Balow JE, Austin HA 3rd Treatment of proliferative lupus nephritis. Am J Kidney Dis(43): 383-5, 2004. [Full Text/Abstract]

12. Balow JE, Austin HA 3rd Treatment of proliferative lupus nephritis. Am J Kidney Dis (43): 383-5, 2004. [Full Text/Abstract]

13. Boumpas DT, Furie R, Manzi S, Illei GG, Wallace DJ, Balow JE, Vaishnaw AArthritis Rheum (48): 719-27, 2003. [Full Text/Abstract]

14. Illei GG, Takada K, Parkin D, Austin HA, Crane M, Yarboro CH, Vaughan EM, Kuroiwa T, Danning CL, Pando J, Steinberg AD, Gourley MF, Klippel JH, Balow JE, Boumpas DT Renal flares are common in patients with severe proliferative lupus nephritis treated with pulse immunosuppressive therapy: long-term followup of a cohort of 145 patients participating in randomized controlled studies. Arthritis Rheum (46): 995-1002, 2002. [Full Text/Abstract]

15. Illei GG, Austin HA, Crane M, Collins L, Gourley MF, Yarboro CH, Vaughan EM, Kuroiwa T, Danning CL, Steinberg AD, Klippel JH, Balow JE, Boumpas DT Combination therapy with pulse cyclophosphamide plus pulse methylprednisolone improves long-term renal outcome without adding toxicity in patients with lupus nephritis. Ann Intern Med (135): 248-57, 2001. [Full Text/Abstract]

16. Boumpas DT, Tassiulas IO, Fleisher TA, Vaughan E, Piscitelli S, Kim Y, Pucino F, Balow JE, Austin HA A pilot study of low-dose fludarabine in membranous nephropathy refractory to therapy. Clin Nephrol (52): 67-75, 1999. [Full Text/Abstract]

17. Austin HA 3rd Patel AD Cadena CA Boumpas DT Balow JE Ongoing immunologic activity after short courses of pulse cyclophosphamide in the NZB/W murine model of systemic lupus erythematosus. J Rheumatol (24): 61-8, 1997. [Full Text/Abstract]

18. Gourley MF Austin HA 3rd Scott D Yarboro CH Vaughan EM Muir J Boumpas DT Klippel JH Balow JE Steinberg AD Methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide, alone or in combination, in patients with lupus nephritis. A randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med (125): 549-57, 1996. [Full Text/Abstract]

19. Austin HA 3rd, Boumpas DT, Vaughan EM, Balow JE High-risk features of lupus nephritis: importance of race and clinical and histological factors in 166 patients. Nephrol Dial Transplant (10): 1620-8, 1995. [Full Text/Abstract]

20. Austin HA 3rd, Boumpas DT, Vaughan EM, Balow JE Predicting renal outcomes in severe lupus nephritis: contributions of clinical and histologic data. Kidney Int (45): 544-50, 1994. [Full Text/Abstract]

21. Boumpas DT, Austin HA 3rd, Vaughan EM, Yarboro CH, Klippel JH, Balow JE Risk for sustained amenorrhea in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus receiving intermittent pulse cyclophosphamide therapy. Ann Intern Med (119): 366-9, 1993. [Full Text/Abstract]

22. Boumpas DT, Austin HA 3rd, Vaughn EM, Klippel JH, Steinberg AD, Yarboro CH, Balow JE Controlled trial of pulse methylprednisolone versus two regimens of pulse cyclophosphamide in severe lupus nephritis. Lancet (340): 741-5, 1992. [Full Text/Abstract]




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