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Featured Faculty

Ruisheng Liu M-9423-2014

Ruisheng Liu, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor, Molecular Pharmacology & Physiology
  • The research of our laboratory has been focused on 2 major areas. One is to determine the significance of tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF) response in control of renal hemodynamics, salt-water balance and hypertension under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. TGF response is an intrarenal regulatory process by which increases in NaCl delivery at the macula densa cause constriction of the afferent arterioles, thereby decreasing glomerular filtration rate and NaCl delivery to the distal nephron. Another area is to study the renal mechanisms and identify potential therapeutic targets for kidney injury, including acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, diabetic nephropathy and graft dysfunction after kidney transplantations. The techniques used in our laboratory include microperfusion of kidney tubules and arterioles in vitro, micropuncture in vivo, molecular biology, cell biology, mouse and rat kidney transplantation, systemic hemodynamic measurement, and tissue knockout
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Mack Wu

Mack Wu, MD

Professor, College of Medicine Molecular Medicine

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. _ _This award will be 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".
We are very proud of this accomplishment;
Congratulations, Dr. Totary-Jain!”
Video: Link here
Video/image 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.

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

Articles

A Genome-Wide Association Study of Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy in African Americans
Plot of the odds of developing idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (a form of heart failure) from various genetic variations on chromosome 2. A variation in a calcium channel subunit (CACNB4) showed the greatest risk for developing the disease. The population is African-American, and the results are from a recent study published from the Heart Institute.

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.

USF Health Institute News

USF Health team identifies mouse model to better study prevalent form of heart failure linked to age-related obesity
6/22/2020
Mice deficient in a receptor needed to safely clear unresolved cardiac inflammation may help in discovering therapies for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction TAMPA, Fla (June 22, 2020) — A receptor that plays an essential role in safely clearing chronic unresolved cardiac inflammati … [read more]
We Must Lead The Way
6/18/2020
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students: Just four months ago, the COVID-19 pandemic began transforming social interaction, disrupting the economy, and fundamentally changing our world in ways that were previously unthinkable. Since then, our country has wavered between optimism and dread, forbearance and … [read more]
Scientific community continues to respond in force to COVID-19 pandemic
6/9/2020
From designing 3D printed test swabs, to researching antibody responses and engaging in leading clinical trials, USF Health scientists rapidly team up to help fight COVID-19 While the world waits for therapies to reduce death rates and a widely available vaccine to prevent COVID 19, team science at … [read more]
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