 He was also the first to determine the crystal structures of integrins.His molecular and structural studies in integrins were instrumental in understanding the processes involved in organ development, maintenance of organ architecture and homeostasis in the adult, cancer growth and metastasis, and the response of organs to acute and chronic inflammatory or autoimmune injury.For example, in the kidney, integrins are now known to be critical in maintaining the kidney filtration barrier thus preventing loss of blood and proteins in the urine, and also mediate the respiratory distress observed in kidney failure patients when hemodialyzed using cuprophane membranes.