Contact Information

Office: 2256 CBRB
Phone: 319-335-3918
Faculty Profile

Brief description of current research:

My research aims to understand the transcriptional processes that are disrupted in cardiovascular disease. Of particular interest is how endothelial function is altered in metabolic diseases including obesity and diabetes. Recently, we identified a novel signaling pathway in the vasculature that mediates the cardiovascular system. Through a combination of pharmacological and genetic gain- and loss-of-function studies in mice, we found the microbiome is capable of regulating vascular function through a mechanism that is governed by miR-204. Currently, we are studying in depth the mechanism by which miR-204 and vascular serotonin affect the endothelial function in obesity and diabetes. If proven, this mechanism could be translated to clinical applications for the treatment of obesity and diabetes-induced  vascular complications particularly in the microvasculature.

3 most influential diabetes/obesity/metabolism publications:

• Kassan M, Vikram A, Li Q, Kim YR, Kumar S, Gabani M, Liu J, Jacobs JS, Irani K. MicroRNA-204 promotes vascular endoplasmic reticulum stress and endothelial dysfunction by targeting Sirtuin1. Sci Rep. 2017 Aug 24;7(1):9308. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-06721-y.
• Vikram A, Lewarchik CM, Yoon JY, Naqvi A, Kumar S, Morgan GM, Jacobs JS, Li Q, Kim YR, Kassan M, Liu J, Gabani M, Kumar A, Mehdi H, Zhu X, Guan X, Kutschke W, Zhang X, Boudreau RL, Dai S, Matasic DS, Jung SB, Margulies KB, Kumar V, Bachschmid MM, London B, Irani K. Sirtuin 1 regulates cardiac electrical activity by deacetylating the cardiac sodium channel. Nat Med. 2017 Mar;23(3):361-367. doi: 10.1038/nm.4284. Epub 2017 Feb 13.
• Kassan M, Vikram A, Kim YR, Li Q, Kassan A, Patel HH, Kumar S, Gabani M, Liu J, Jacobs JS, Irani K. Sirtuin1 protects endothelial Caveolin-1 expression and preserves endothelial function via suppressing miR-204 and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Sci Rep. 2017 Feb 9;7:42265. doi: 10.1038/srep42265.

Quote:

Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world.

-Louis Pasteur