Memo

To: Doug Bradley

From: Justin Su (J.S.)
Subject: Re: Assignment #1 – Select a STEM Subject Matter Area
Date: January 24, 2019
I have decided to select cell biology of chronic kidney diseases as my area of study. Throughout
the completion of the Professional Writing: Science Communication minor here at UC Santa
Barbara, I will explore and learn the sciences behind the nephropathologies that led to chronic
kidney diseases. Furthermore, I intend on decrypting what I have learned through various forms
of media for the general public’s greater understanding.

Cell Biology of Chronic Kidney Diseases

Chronic kidney diseases (CKDs) have been increasing significantly in the degree of movement on
the list of causes of death worldwide – second only to that of HIV and AIDS (Jha et al., 2013).
The only treatments for CKD are dialysis and kidney transplantation (Weber et al., 2017), where
each treatment has challenging shortcomings that have not been solved. Restrictive lifestyles and
shortages of donor kidneys are some of the factors consistently concerning these two conventional
treatments. Three common treatments that have the potential of maximizing CKD patients’
lifestyles are kidney transplants, artificial bioengineered kidneys, and personalized hydrogel-based
regenerative therapies. Using my existing and expanding knowledge in the field of cell biology
and biomedical research, I aspire to be a part of the development of these treatments. Furthermore,
I aim to inform the general public on the various risk factors and economic disadvantages of kidney
disease, bolstering awareness of kidney diseases in public health.

Conceptual Questions in the Minds of Lay Audiences

Many people are not intrigued when they hear the word “kidney.” Therefore, the first challenge is
to extend relevance of the kidney to lay audiences. The concept of the kidney and its functions has
become overshadowed by that of the heart, brain, and lungs. From an organ system to the cellular
functions, nephrons – the basic unit of the kidney – and their numbers within a kidney should be
the basis understanding of the general public, as this concept is crucial when kidney transplantation
is considered. Second, rises in Type II Diabetes and hypertension have been leading causes in
CKD. Diabetes nephropathy is convoluted with sophisticated jargon and pathways leading to
kidney diseases. Since the kidney system is affected by diet, endocrine, and many other organ
systems, utilizing factors to explain diabetes nephropathy would be one of the ways to overcome
the barrier between health scientists and lay audiences. Lastly, the concept of the glomeruli
filtration rate (GFR) is not fully understood by lay audiences. The GFR is a universal diagnostic
value to determine whether one’s kidneys are functioning. Carrying the utmost clinical
significance in diagnosing kidney disease, this value calculates the rate of plasma filtered through
all functioning nephrons. The use of science communication techniques such as demonstrations or
extended metaphors may explain this concept to lay audiences concisely.

I look forward to concretely present what I have learned and accomplished through this task of
depicting the cell biology and health implications of chronic kidney diseases to my lay audiences.