Research

Gerhard Burckhardt dealt with the molecular basis of renal excretion of organic anions. Following the description of the para-aminohippurate/alpha-ketoglutarate exchange as the prime mechanism for the uptake of organic anions from the blood into the proximal tubule cells, he and his colleagues cloned the respective organic anion transporter 1 (OAT1) from flounder kidney in 1997, and later also from humans and other species. A further research subject was a sulfate/anion exchanger, sat-1, that is present in renal and liver cells and transports sulfate, bicarbonate and oxalate.