Pathophysiology of Primary Aldosteronism (AG Williams)
Main research topics
AG Williams investigates the physiology and pathophysiology of the adrenal cortex with a specific interest in primary aldosteronism. Tracy´s currently funded projects as principal investigator include:
• Molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis in primary aldosteronism
• Pathophysiology and advanced approaches for subtyping in primary aldosteronism
• The physiology and pathophysiology of porcine aldosterone production.
The team has multiple and diverse projects ranging from the pathophysiology of primary aldosteronism using molecular histopathology and spatial and single cell omics technologies to clinical investigations for the identification of predictors of therapeutic responses to primary aldosteronism-specific therapies.
Biography
Before joining Munich, Tracy was responsible for a Molecular Biology laboratory in the Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Italy, after obtaining an EMBO long-term fellowship and a Marie-Curie research training grant. Prior to this, she spent several years at the Collège de France, Paris, France, as a postdoctoral fellow focussing on the molecular biology of angiotensin-I converting enzyme. Tracy earned her PhD and BSc degrees from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Leeds, UK and was awarded a fellowship from the Royal Society of Great Britain.
Other activities
Since 2022: Member of the Endocrine Society Primary Aldosteronism Guideline development panel
Since 2018: Editorial board member of Hypertension
2015 to 2019: ENS@T executive committee member
Group Members
PI/Group leader: Tracy Williams PhD
• Postdoctoral fellow: Zhuolun Sun MD PhD
• PhD student: Siyuan Gong MD
• PhD student: Sanas Mir-Bashiri MSc
• PhD student: Yingxian Pang MD
• PhD student: Jia Wei MD
• Technical assistant: Petra Rank
• Technical assistant: Youssra Mohammed
• Technical assistant: Beate Heuser
• Technical assistant: Carolin Ellerbrock
Selected relevant publications out of >150; h-index, 50
1) Gong S, Sun N*, Meyer LS*, Tetti M, Koupourtidou C, Krebs S, Masserdotti G, Blum H, Rainey WE, Reincke M, Walch A, Williams TA. Primary aldosteronism: spatial multi-omics mapping of genotype-dependent heterogeneity and tumor expansion of aldosterone-producing adenomas. Hypertension 2023;80 in press
2) Williams TA, Gong S, Tsurutani Y, Tezuka Y, Thuzar M, Burrello J, Wu V-C, Yamazaki Y, Mulatero P, Sasano H, Stowasser M, Nishikawa T, Satoh F, Reincke M. Adrenal surgery for bilateral primary aldosteronism: an international retrospective cohort study. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2022;10(11):769-771
3) Reincke M, Bancos I, Mulatero P, Scholl UI, Stowasser M, Williams TA. Diagnosis and treatment of primary aldosteronism. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2021;9(12):876-892
4) Meyer LS, Handgriff L, Lim JS, Udager AM, Kinker I, Ladurner R, Wildgruber M, Knösel T, Bidlingmaier M, Rainey WE, Reincke M, Williams TA. Single-center prospective cohort study on the histopathology, genotype, and postsurgical outcomes of patients with primary aldosteronism. Hypertension 2021;78(3):738-746
5) Yang Y, Tetti M, Vohra T, Adolf C, Seissler J, Hristov M, Belavgeni A, Bidlingmaier M, Linkermann A, Mulatero P, Beuschlein F, Reincke M, Williams TA. BEX1 is differentially expressed in aldosterone-producing adenomas and protects human adrenocortical cells from ferroptosis. Hypertension 2021;77(5):1647-1658
6) Williams TA, Gomez-Sanchez CE, Rainey WE, Giordano TJ, Lam AK, Marker A, Mete O, Yamazaki Y, Zerbini MCN, Beuschlein F, Satoh F, Burrello J, Schneider H, Lenders JWM, Mulatero P, Castellano I, Knösel T, Papotti M, Saeger W, Sasano H*, Reincke M*. International histopathology consensus for unilateral primary aldosteronism. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2021;106(1):42-54
7) Vohra T*, Kemter E*, Sun N, Dobenecker B, Hinrichs A, Burrello J, Gomez-Sanchez EP, Gomez-Sanchez CE, Wang J, Kinker I, Teupser D, Fischer K, Schnieke A, Peitzsch M, Eisenhofer G, Walch A, Reincke M, Wolf E*, Williams TA*. Effect of dietary sodium modulation on pig adrenal steroidogenesis and transcriptome profiles. Hypertension 2020;76(6):1769-1777
8) Sun N, Meyer LS, Feuchtinger A, Kunzke T, Reincke M, Walch A*, Williams TA*. Mass spectrometry imaging establishes 2 distinct metabolic phenotypes of aldosterone-producing cell clusters in primary aldosteronism. Hypertension 2020; 75:634-644
9) Williams TA, Burrello J, Sechi LA, Fardella CE, Matrozova J, Adolf C, Baudrand R, Bernardi S, Beuschlein F, Catena C, Doumas M, Fallo F, Giacchetti G, Heinrich DA, Saint-Hilary G, Jansen PM, Januszewicz A, Kocjan T, Nishikawa T, Quinkler M, Satoh F, Umakoshi N, Widimský Jr J, Hahner S, Douma S, Stowasser M, Mulatero P, Reincke M. Computed tomography and adrenal venous sampling in the diagnosis of unilateral primary aldosteronism. Hypertension 2018; 72(3):641-649
10) Williams TA, Lenders JWM, Mulatero P, Burrello J, Rottenkolber M, Adolf C, Satoh F, Amar L, Quinkler M, Deinum J, Beuschlein F, Kitamoto K, Pham U, Morimoto R, Umakoshi H, Prejbisz A, Kocjan T, Naruse M, Stowasser M, Nishikawa T, Young WF Jr, Gomez-Sanchez CE, Funder JW, Reincke M; Primary Aldosteronism Surgery Outcome (PASO) investigators. Outcomes after adrenalectomy for unilateral primary aldosteronism: an international consensus on outcome measures and analysis of remission rates in an international cohort. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2017; 5(9):689-699