Peter Gross, Ph.D.

Hyponatremia (headquarters – Europe)

Scientific background

Approximately 4 % of in-hospital patients will be found hyponatremic at any given point in time. Experimental and clinical research has demonstrated that failure to suppress antidiuretic hormone (ADH) secretion as well as thirst mediated fluid intake are the 2 chief causes of the electrolyte disturbance. Although hyponatremia is often symptomatic even to the degree of causing coma, disorientation and generalized seizures no specific treatments are available in medical practice. This is going to change soon, since novel antagonists of the vasopressin V-2 and of the V-2/V-1 receptors are now undergoing phase II and III studies for oral use.

Main scientific program

Clinical studies of the usefulness of oral V-2 and V-2/V-1 antagonists in:

correcting hyponatremia;
improving psychomotor test results;
improving organ function in hyponatremic cardiac failure and liver cirrhosis.

Related areas of scientific interest (clinical studies)

I. Aquaporin-2 in thiazide-induced hyponatremia;
II. Role of ADH in the hyponatremia of renal insufficiency;
III. Treatment of ADPKD-I (polycystic kidney disease) by oral V2 Antagonist (phase II);
IV. Gitelman syndrome: new approaches to the diagnosis and the treatment.

(I and IV: joint ventures with the lab of Mark Knepper, M.D., Professor of Physiology, Renal Section, N.I.H., Bethesda, M.D.)

Selected publications

Gross, P: Treatment of severe hyponatremia. KIDNEY INT, 60: 2417-2427 (201);
Palm C, Reimann D, Gross P: The role of V2 vasopressin antagonists in hyponatremia. Cardiovasc. Res., 51:403-408 (2001);
Gerbes AL, Gülberg V, Gines P, Decaux G, Gross P, Gandjini H, Djian J: Therapy of hyponatremia in cirrhosis with a Vasopressin receptor antagonist: a randomized double-blind multicenter trial. Gastroenterol. 124: 933 – 939 (2003);
Gross P, Decaux G, Annave D, Fan K, Long W, Smith N: Efficacy and safety of oral conivaptan, a V1A/V2 vasopressin receptor antagonist in patients with euvolemic or hypervolemic hyponatremia: A randomized, controlled trial. (In press, 2005);
Soupart A, Gross P, Legros J J, Alföldi S, Annave D, Heshmati HH: Successful long-term treatment of SiADH with SR 121 463 B, an orally active non-peptide vasopressin V-2 receptor antagonist (submitted for publication, 2005).

Curriculum vitae

1969 - 1970: Scholar of the Stiftung Volkswagenwerk (Glasgow and London);

1972: Graduate from the Medical School of the T.U. Munich; Scholar of the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes; Spezia Preisträger (Award);

1974 – 1981: Internship, residency, fellowship at the Univ. of Colorado Med.-Ctr., Denver, CO; licensed in Colorado;
Board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine;
Board certified by the American Board of Nephrology;

1982 – 1987: Heisenberg Stipendiat of the D.F.G.;
Medizin. Univ. Klinik Heidelberg;
M.P.I. für Biophysik, Frankfurt/Main

1988 – 1994: Associate Professor and Vice-Chair,
Dept. of Medicine and Nephrology, Freie Universität, Berlin;

1994 – present: Schwerpunktprofessur für Nephrologie,
Univ.Klinikum C.G. Carus, Dresden, F.R.G.