The Cardiovascular Research Program investigates heart and lung disorders at the molecular level, by gaining a better understanding of the mechanisms and genetics of pulmonary hypertension, myocardial infarction and sickle cell cardiomyopathy. Led by Ankit A. Desai, MD, professor of medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine and a cardiologist with Indiana University Health, the Cardiopulmonary Research Program focuses on three cardiovascular areas:
- Genetic mechanisms of pulmonary hypertension and right heart failure, with a focus on endothelial cell signaling
- Genetic mechanisms of inflammation-mediated ventricular tachycardia and cardiomyopathy in patients with sickle cell disease
- Novel molecular mechanisms of beta blockers in myocardial infarction via beta-adrenergic-independent signaling
Desai's lab was among the first to spearhead an international collaboration on demonstrating novel genetics that trigger pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a disease that impacts arteries in the lungs and leads to right heart failure.
In 2024, Desai was awarded a $3 million grant by the U.S. Department of Defense to evaluate a beta blocker, propranolol, typically used to treat heart problems, as a possible therapeutic for patients with sickle cell disease, where the median age of death is 43. Desai and his collaborators are studying a derivative of the drug that is free of known blood pressure and heart rate side effects and will evaluate the safety of it before it is introduced in a clinical trial.
Desai has contributed more than 110 peer-reviewed papers across 17 high-impact academic journals including Circulation, Blood and Lancet Respiratory Medicine. In February 2024, he co-authored the Journal of Cardiology paper on improving lung congestion prior to discharge of heart patients from emergency rooms. The study found event-free survival most strongly correlated to patients without tachycardia, tachypnea, hypotension, hyponatremia, uremia, advanced age or a history of heart attacks and that lung ultrasound may help ensure adequate decongestion before discharge.
In 2023, Desai and collaborators published a breakthrough study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, which showed that SOX 17 is tightly regulated by estrogen signaling and mediates metabolism in cells from the lung, intersecting the well-known sex bias in the disease with genetic mechanisms.
Additionally, as senior author of the March 2023 issue of Nature: Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, Desai and collaborators stated higher interleukin-18, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, played a key role in mortality rates among those impacted by COVID-19, and is a potential novel biomarker of disease severity and outcomes in patients with COVID-19.
