Sami Noujaim, PhD

Professor, College of Medicine Molecular Pharmacology & Physiology

Contact Info Morsani College of Medicine
12901 Bruce B Downs Blvd
Tampa FL 33612

Academic Email: snoujaim@usf.edu

Academic Phone:(813) 974-6416

Education

Interdisciplinary and Emerging Signature Programs

• Cardiovascular Sciences
• Cellular and Molecular Biology

Research Interests

• We focus on the mechanistic understanding of cardiac normal and abnormal electrical impulse propagation. We strive to further explore, from the molecular, to the whole organ level, the determinants of cardiac excitability and arrhythmias. Along with our collaborators, our scientific investigations employ multidisciplinary approaches that include molecular and cellular biology, cellular and whole organ electrophysiology, and structural biology of ion channels, in order to investigate the mechanisms and therapeutics of cardiac pathoelectrophysiology. Our areas of scientific interest include:
• 1- The mechanisms of arrhythmogenesis in pathological conditions associated with intracellular Ca overload.
• 2- The role of the intrinsic cardiac nervous system in the generation of abnormal heart rhythm.
• 3- The role of the inward rectifier potassium channels in atrial and ventricular tachyarrhythmias.

Recent Publications

• Takemoto Y Slough DP Meinke G Katnik C Graziano ZA Chidipi B Reiser M Ahadidy MM Ramirez R Salvador-Montanes O Ennis S Guerrero-Sema G Haburcak M Dehl C Cuevas J Jalife J Bohm A Lin YS Noujaim . Structural basis for the antiarrhythmic blockade of a potassium channel with a small molecule. FASEB J. 4(32) : 1778-1793, 2019.
• Bassil G, Zarzoso M, Noujaim SF. Allometric scaling of electrical excitation and propagation in the mammalian heart. Journal of theoretical biology. 419: 238-242, 2017.
• Jin H, Welzig CM, Aronovitz M, Noubary F, Blanton R, Wang B, Rajab M, Albano A, Link MS, Noujaim SF, Park HJ, Galper JB. QRS/T-wave and calcium alternans in a type I diabetic mouse model for spontaneous postmyocardial infarction ventricular tachycardia: A mechanism for the antiarrhythmic effect of statins. Heart rhythm. , 2017.
• Takemoto Y, Ramirez RJ, Yokokawa M, Kaur K, Ponce-Balbuena D, Sinno MC, Willis BC, Ghanbari H, Ennis SR, Guerrero-Serna G, Henzi BC, Latchamsetty R, Ramos-Mondragon R, Musa H, Martins RP, Pandit SV, Noujaim SF, Crawford T, Jongnarangsin K, Pelosi F, Bogun F, Chugh A, Berenfeld O, Morady F, Oral H, Jalife J. Galectin-3 Regulates Atrial Fibrillation Remodeling and Predicts Catheter Ablation Outcomes. JACC. Basic to translational science. 1(3) : 143-154, 2016.
• Ripplinger CM, Noujaim SF, Linz D. The nervous heart. Progress in biophysics and molecular biology. , 2016.
• Zarzoso M, Noujaim SF. Mission possible: RNA interference rescues the hERG current. Heart rhythm : the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society. 10(1) : 137-8, 2013.
• Loaiza R, Benkusky NA, Powers PP, Hacker T, Noujaim S, Ackerman MJ, Jalife J, Valdivia HH. Heterogeneity of ryanodine receptor dysfunction in a mouse model of catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. Circulation research. 112(2) : 298-308, 2013.
• Deo M, Ruan Y, Pandit SV, Shah K, Berenfeld O, Blaufox A, Cerrone M, Noujaim SF, Denegri M, Jalife J, Priori SG. KCNJ2 mutation in short QT syndrome 3 results in atrial fibrillation and ventricular proarrhythmia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 110(11) : 4291-6, 2013.
• Zarzoso M, Rysevaite K, Milstein ML, Calvo CJ, Kean AC, Atienza F, Pauza DH, Jalife J, Noujaim SF. Nerves projecting from the intrinsic cardiac ganglia of the pulmonary veins modulate sinoatrial node pacemaker function. Cardiovascular research. 99(3) : 566-75, 2013.
• Rajab M, Jin H, Welzig CM, Albano A, Aronovitz M, Zhang Y, Park HJ, Link MS, Noujaim SF, Galper JB. Increased inducibility of ventricular tachycardia and decreased heart rate variability in a mouse model for type 1 diabetes: effect of pravastatin. American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology. 305(12) : H1807-16, 2013.
• Pandit SV, Noujaim SF, Jalife J. Postrepolarization refractoriness in acute ischemia and after antiarrhythmic drug administration. Heart rhythm : the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society. 9(5) : e13-4; author reply e14, 2012.
• Filgueiras-Rama D, Martins RP, Mironov S, Yamazaki M, Calvo CJ, Ennis SR, Bandaru K, Noujaim SF, Kalifa J, Berenfeld O, Jalife J. Chloroquine terminates stretch-induced atrial fibrillation more effectively than flecainide in the sheep heart. Circulation. Arrhythmia and electrophysiology. 5(3) : 561-70, 2012.
• Salvador-Montañés O, Gómez-Gallanti A, Garofalo D, Noujaim SF, Peinado R, Filgueiras-Rama D. Polyunsaturated Fatty acids in atrial fibrillation: looking for the proper candidates. Frontiers in physiology. 3: 370, 2012.
• Noujaim SF, Kaur K, Milstein M, Jones JM, Furspan P, Jiang D, Auerbach DS, Herron T, Meisler MH, Jalife J. A null mutation of the neuronal sodium channel NaV1.6 disrupts action potential propagation and excitation-contraction coupling in the mouse heart. FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 26(1) : 63-72, 2012.
• Pandit SV, Zlochiver S, Filgueiras-Rama D, Mironov S, Yamazaki M, Ennis SR, Noujaim SF, Workman AJ, Berenfeld O, Kalifa J, Jalife J. Targeting atrioventricular differences in ion channel properties for terminating acute atrial fibrillation in pigs. Cardiovascular research. 89(4) : 843-51, 2011.
• Rysevaite K, Saburkina I, Pauziene N, Noujaim SF, Jalife J, Pauza DH. Morphologic pattern of the intrinsic ganglionated nerve plexus in mouse heart. Heart rhythm : the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society. 8(3) : 448-54, 2011.
• Rysevaite K, Saburkina I, Pauziene N, Vaitkevicius R, Noujaim SF, Jalife J, Pauza DH. Immunohistochemical characterization of the intrinsic cardiac neural plexus in whole-mount mouse heart preparations. Heart rhythm : the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society. 8(5) : 731-8, 2011.
• Noujaim SF, Stuckey JA, Ponce-Balbuena D, Ferrer-Villada T, López-Izquierdo A, Pandit SV, Sánchez-Chapula JA, Jalife J. Structural bases for the different anti-fibrillatory effects of chloroquine and quinidine. Cardiovascular research. 89(4) : 862-9, 2011.
• Aguilar F, Belmonte SL, Ram R, Noujaim SF, Dunaevsky O, Protack TL, Jalife J, Todd Massey H, Gertler FB, Blaxall BC. Mammalian enabled (Mena) is a critical regulator of cardiac function. American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology. 300(5) : H1841-52, 2011.
• Pandit SV, Kaur K, Zlochiver S, Noujaim SF, Furspan P, Mironov S, Shibayama J, Anumonwo J, Jalife J. Left-to-right ventricular differences in I(KATP) underlie epicardial repolarization gradient during global ischemia. Heart rhythm : the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society. 8(11) : 1732-9, 2011.
• Stein AB, Jones TA, Herron TJ, Patel SR, Day SM, Noujaim SF, Milstein ML, Klos M, Furspan PB, Jalife J, Dressler GR. Loss of H3K4 methylation destabilizes gene expression patterns and physiological functions in adult murine cardiomyocytes. The Journal of clinical investigation. 121(7) : 2641-50, 2011.
• Noujaim SF, Stuckey JA, Ponce-Balbuena D, Ferrer-Villada T, López-Izquierdo A, Pandit S, Calvo CJ, Grzeda KR, Berenfeld O, Chapula JA, Jalife J. Specific residues of the cytoplasmic domains of cardiac inward rectifier potassium channels are effective antifibrillatory targets. FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 24(11) : 4302-12, 2010.
• Grzeda KR, Noujaim SF, Berenfeld O, Jalife J. Complex fractionated atrial electrograms: properties of time-domain versus frequency-domain methods. Heart rhythm : the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society. 6(10) : 1475-82, 2009.
• Cerrone M, Noujaim SF, Tolkacheva EG, Talkachou A, O''Connell R, Berenfeld O, Anumonwo J, Pandit SV, Vikstrom K, Napolitano C, Priori SG, Jalife J. Arrhythmogenic mechanisms in a mouse model of catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. Circulation research. 101(10) : 1039-48, 2007.
• Noujaim SF, Pandit SV, Berenfeld O, Vikstrom K, Cerrone M, Mironov S, Zugermayr M, Lopatin AN, Jalife J. Up-regulation of the inward rectifier K+ current (I K1) in the mouse heart accelerates and stabilizes rotors. The Journal of physiology. 578(Pt 1) : 315-26, 2007.
• Noujaim SF, Berenfeld O, Kalifa J, Cerrone M, Nanthakumar K, Atienza F, Moreno J, Mironov S, Jalife J. Universal scaling law of electrical turbulence in the mammalian heart. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 104(52) : 20985-9, 2007.
• Noujaim SF, Auerbach DS, Jalife J. Ventricular fibrillation: dynamics and ion channel determinants. Circulation journal : official journal of the Japanese Circulation Society. 71 Suppl A: A1-11, 2007.
• Noujaim SF, Lucca E, Muñoz V, Persaud D, Berenfeld O, Meijler FL, Jalife J. From mouse to whale: a universal scaling relation for the PR Interval of the electrocardiogram of mammals. Circulation. 110(18) : 2802-8, 2004.
• Bassil G, Noujaim SF Brugada Syndrome or not? That is the question Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine. 28: 293-94, 2018.
• Bassil G, Chang M, Pauza A, Diaz Vera J, Lindsay B, Noujaim SF Pulmonary Veins Ganglia are Remodeled in the Diabetic Heart Journal of the American Heart Association. 7: e008919, 2018.
• Zhang Y, Welzig CM, Haburcak M, Wang B, Aronovitz M, Park HJ, Force T, Noujaim SF, Galper JB Targeted Disruption of Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 Beta in Cardiomyocytes Attenuates Cardiac Parasympathetic Dysfunction in Type 1 Diabetic Akita Mice PLoS One. 14: e0215213, 2019.
• Tobón C, Palacio LC, Chidipi B, Slough DP, Tran T, Tran N, Reiser M, Lin YS, Herweg B, Sayad D, Saiz J, Noujaim S The Antimalarial Chloroquine Reduces the Burden of Persistent Atrial Fibrillation Front Pharmacol. 10: 1392, 2019.
• Xu W, Cantwell L, Plant LD, Yang Y, Shekhar A, Noujaim SF, Logothetis D, Thakur G The small molecule GAT1508 activates brain-specific GIRK1/2 channel heteromers and facilitates conditioned fear extinction in rodents J Biol Chem. 295: 3614-3634, 2020.
• Filgueiras-Rama D, Vasilijevic J, Jalife J, Noujaim S, Alfonso JM, Nicolas-Avila JA, Gutierrez C, Zamarreño N, Hidalgo A, Bernabé A, Cop CP, Ponce-Balbuena D, Guerrero-Serna G, Calle D, Desco M, Ruiz-Cabello J, Nieto A, Falcon A Human Influenza A virus causes myocardial and cardiac-specific conduction system infection associated with early inflammation and premature death Cardiovasc Res. 117: 876-889, 2021.

Awards/Honors

• Visiting Professor (Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine - 2013)
• Melvin Marcus Young Investigator Award in Cardiovascular Sciences. Finalist (The American Heart Association - 2010)
• Pathway to Independence Award (National Institutes of Health - 2010)
• Best Abstract Award (The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics - 2008)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship (American Heart Association - 2008)
• Research Recognition Award (American Physiological Society - 2007)
• Gordon K. Moe Young Investigator Award (Upstate New York Cardiac Electrophysiology Society & American Heart Association Northeast - 2005)
• Distinguished Alumni Lecture (SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY - 2018)