• Department of Pathology
  • Pathology Staff
• Department of Laboratory Medicine
  • Laboratory Medicine Staff
• Affiliated Hospitals
  • Moffitt-Long
  • Mount Zion Medical Center
  • San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center
  • San Francisco General
• Faculty
  • Pathology
  • Laboratory Medicine

Research and Clinical Interests

Molecular genetics and therapeutics of hypertension, the metabolic syndrome, and related clinical disorders. Primary research focus: identification of genes and new therapies for hypertension and the metabolic syndrome and the development of transgenic models for these disorders.

Selected Publications

• Pravenec M, Landa V, Zidek V, Musilova A, Kren V, Kazdova L, Aitman TJ, Glazier AM, Ibrahimi A, Abumrad N, Qi N, Wang JM, St. Lezin E, Kurtz TW. Transgenic Rescue of Defective Cd36 Ameliorates Insulin Resistance and Circulating Fatty Acid Levels in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats. Nature Genetics, 27:156-158, 2001
• Benson SC, Pershadsingh HA, Ho CI, Chittiboyina A, Desai P, Pravenec M, Qi N, Wang J, Avery MA, Kurtz TW. Identification of telmisartan as a unique angiotensin II receptor antagonist with selective PPARg modulating activity. Hypertension, 43:993-1002, 2004
• Hubner N, Wallace CA, Zimdahl H, Petretto E, Schulz H, Maciver F, Mueller M, Hummel O, Monti J, Zidek V, Musilova A, Kren V, Causton H, Game L, Born G, Schmidt S, Muller A, Cook SA, Kurtz TW, Whittaker J, Pravenec M, Aitman TJ. Integrated transcriptional profiling and linkage analysis for identification of genes underlying disease. Nature Genetics, 37:243-53,2005
• Qi N, Wang J, Zidek V, Landa V, Mlejnek P, Kazdová L, Pravenec M, Kurtz TW. A New transgenic rat model of hepatic steatosis and the metabolic syndrome. Hypertension, 45:1004-11, 2005
• Sugimoto K, Qi NR, Kazdová L, Pravenec M, Ogihara T, Kurtz TW. Telmisartan But Not Valsartan Increases Caloric Expenditure And Protects Against Weight Gain and Hepatic Steatosis. Hypertension, 2006 May;47(5):1003-9

Selected Awards

• President, The American Society of Hypertension 2000-2002
• Novartis Award for Hypertension Research 2006

• Professor and Vice Chair of Laboratory Medicine, Chief of Clinical Chemistry
• Laboratory Medicine

Specialty Area

• Clinical Chemistry

Contact Information

• KurtzT@Labmed2.ucsf.edu
• Phone: 415-353-1979
• Fax: 801-912-3103

• UCSF Clinical Laboratories
• 185 Berry Street, Suite 290
• San Francisco, CA 9414107

Other UCSF Organizational Association(s)

• Cardiovascular Research Institute
• Program in Human Genetics

Hospital Affiliation(s)

• UCSF Moffitt-Long Hospitals