More than 6 million Americans suffer from Heart Failure (HF) and it is a leading cause of hospitalization in people older than 65 years, world-wide. Inflammation is an important driver of pathogenesis in heart failure (HF). Cardiac inflammation is like a double-edged sword. On one hand, it plays an important role of clearing the dead cells after injury or infection, but, chronic cardiac inflammation leads to cardiac fibrosis, and eventually to cardiac dysfunction. There is a need to develop mechanisms that enable us to tightly regulate cardiac inflammation and fine tune the inflammatory response in heart.
Dr. Unudurthi’s research focuses on understanding the role of membrane proteins in fine-tuning cardiac inflammation. Specifically, the cell surface receptor Fibroblast growth factor inducible 14 (Fn14), is highly expressed in heart, and it’s ONLY known ligand is Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK). He explores the role of TWEAK/Fn14 pathway in various cardiac cell types and how this pathway regulates cell-cell communication to promote cardiac inflammation and fibrosis. Studies in the lab span from cardiac cell biology, inflammation, cardiac fibrosis to murine models of heart failure. He employs a wide array of experimental techniques in our research, including in vitro techniques such as cardiac cell culture, flowcytometry, RNA sequencing and generation and culture of human iPSC-CMs. Some of the in vivo techniques include transaortic constriction (TAC) and Myocardial Infarction (MI) surgeries, 2D echocardiography and whole animal imaging.
Dr. Unudurthi obtained a PhD in Biological Sciences from National University of Singapore. He conducted his postdoctoral studies at The Ohio State University, Columbus, on spectrin based regulation of cardiac rhythmicity and cardiac inflammation. He was awarded an American Heart Association postdoctoral fellowship to study βIV spectrin dependent regulation of STAT3 signaling in heart. He discovered that βIV spectrin – STAT3 complex was essential for regulation of the cardiac response to stress, and disruption of this complex could be protective against pressure overload induced heart failure. Dr. Unudurthi was recruited to MMRI as an Instructor in Dr. Maria Kontaridis’s lab to unravel inflammatory and fibrotic mechanisms underlying maladaptive cardiac remodeling. Specifically, Dr. Unudurthi’s work focuses on studying the role of TWEAK-Fn14 pathway in regulating inflammation and fibrosis in cardiac tissue.
Honors:
– Outstanding Research Scientist Award, DHLRI Research Day 2019
Professional Memberships
– American Heart Association
– Heart Failure Society of America
– Heart Rhythm Society
Education
– Ph.D., National University of Singapore, Singapore