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Congratulations to Dr. Breslin!

We would like to congratulate Dr. Jerome Breslin, who has been elected as President-Elect of the Microcirculatory Society. The link to the Microcirculatory Society’s website is listed here for reference: https://www.microcirc.org/ . Dr. Breslin will lead the Microcirculatory Society in its mission to “actively encourage and promote all forms of innovative research and teaching, leading to an increase in understanding of microcirculatory function in health and disease.” This is a prestigious honor and we are very proud to have Dr. Breslin on our team. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Dr. Totary-Jain!

Dr. Hana Totary-Jain has been selected as the winner of the 2020 Alan T. Hirsch, MD Mid-Career Award in Vascular Medicine. Dr. Totary-Jain is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology and her lab focuses on non-coding RNAs and their regulatory role in cardiovascular diseases. The award was presented during the AHA Vascular Discovery: From Genes to Medicine Scientific Sessions 2020.

The title of her talk: "Design and delivery of microRNA switches to treat cardiovascular diseases".

Description: 3D confocal image from whole mount of mouse wire-injured femoral arteries 48 hours after a single intravenous injection of niRFP mRNA-p5RHH nanoparticle.

 

Featured Faculty

Samuel Wickline, MD

Samuel Wickline, MD

TGH Endowed Chair of Cardiovascular Sciences
Director, USF Health Heart Institute

Thomas McDonald, MD

Thomas McDonald, MD

Professor, USF Health Heart Institute

Stephen Liggett, MD

Stephen Liggett, MD

Vice Dean for Research, Morsani College of Medicine
Associate Vice President for Research, USF Health
Professor of Internal Medicine

Ganesh Halade, PhD

Ganesh Halade, PhD

Associate Professor, USF Health Heart Institute

Dr. Bibhu Mohanty - Tips on Heart Health
Dr. Bibhu Mohanty - Tips on Heart Health
Surface TAS2R14-WT expression with DPD treatment in HEK293T cells
Surface TAS2R14-WT expression with DPD treatment in HEK293T cells

Articles

β-Arrestin2 oligomers impair the clearance of pathological tau and increase tau aggregates
Multiple G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are targets in the treatment of dementia, and the arrestins are common to their signaling. β-Arrestin2 was significantly increased in brains of patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD-tau), a disease second to Alzheimer’s as a cause of dementia. Genetic loss and overexpression experiments using genetically encoded reporters and defined mutant constructs in vitro, and in cell lines, primary neurons, and tau P301S mice crossed with β-arrestin2−/− mice, show that β-arrestin2 stabilizes pathogenic tau and promotes tau aggregation.

Modulation of LIN28B/Let-7 Signaling by Propranolol Contributes to Infantile Hemangioma Involution
Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) are the most common benign vascular neoplasms of infancy, characterized by a rapid growth phase followed by a spontaneous involution, or triggered by propranolol treatment by poorly understood mechanisms. LIN28/let-7 axis plays a central role in the regulation of stem cell self-renewal and tumorigenesis. However, the role of LIN28B/let-7 signaling in IH pathogenesis has not yet been elucidated.
Liggett TAS2R5 agonist

Identification and Characterization of Novel Bronchodilator Agonists Acting at Human Airway Smooth Muscle Cell TAS2R5

Bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) are recognized asbeing expressed on multiple cell types and organs, includinghuman airway smooth muscle (HASM) cells, where agonistspromote significant relaxation to constrictive stimuli. Thus, theHASM TAS2Rs have been targeted as novel bronchodilators forthe treatment of asthma and other obstructive lung diseases. These studies revealed critical structural requirements for favorable potencies andefficacies for a potentialfirst-in-class bronchodilator targeting TAS2R5 of the airway.

Molecular Neurobiology Thumbnail

Hippocampal and Prefrontal Cortical Brain Tissue Levels of Irisin and GDF15 Receptor Subunits in Children
Cold-stress hormones (CSHs) stimulate thermogenesis and have direct neuroprotective effects on the brain. The obligatory receptor components of two new CSHs (irisin and growth differentiation factor-15 [GDF15]) were recently discovered.

USF Health Institute News

USF drug discovery study identifies promising new compound to open constricted airways
12/23/2020
Experts in airway bitter taste receptors and medicinal chemistry team up to advance a potential asthma and COPD treatment that works differently than existing bronchodilators . TAMPA, Fla (Jan 4, 2021) — Despite the progress made in managing asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (CO … [read more]
Flavors added to vaping devices can damage the heart
12/11/2020
The vape flavorings so popular with kids and young adults are cardiotoxic and disrupt the heart’s normal electrical activity, a University of South Florida Health preclinical study finds TAMPA, Fla (Dec. 11, 2020) — The appealing array of fruit and candy flavors that entice millions of young … [read more]
Focused on the root causes of cardiac inflammation
9/30/2020
In search of individualized heart failure therapies, Ganesh Halade leads a USF Health Heart Institute team studying unresolved inflammation after heart attack //www.youtube.com/watch?v=KarBPXZs1rs Short-term inflammation is one of the body’s key defense mechanisms to help repair injury and fight in … [read more]
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