Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Researchers Identify Master Switch That Regulates Blood Pressure

PORTLAND, Ore. – A team of Oregon Health & Science University researchers studying a rare form of hypertension has identified the mechanism by which they believe a protein complex in the kidney operates as a master switch that regulates blood pressure, a finding that has broad implications for the treatment of more common forms of hypertension. The team led by David H. Ellison, M.D. – whose findings are described in a paper being published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation – likens the switch to a rheostat that modulates the balance of salt and potassium in the kidney, thereby raising or lowering blood pressure.

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