UTRGV Biology professor awarded NIH grant for Ion channel function research

Dr. Nirakar Sahoo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology and Chemistry.

By Maria Gonzalez

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS -  Nirakar Sahoo, Ph.D, UTRGV Biology , Assistant Professor, has been awarded a total of $ 444,000 grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), one of the 27 National Institutes of Health (NIH), to support his research project, The Emerging Role of Heme and Heme Degradation Products in The Modulation of Cardiac Ion Channels.

“This research will lead to identifying an important target in cardiovascular diseases,” Dr. Sahoo said. “If excess heme, the major component in red meat, has the potential to induce cardiovascular disease (CVD) by targeting cardiac ion channels, then this could provide an avenue for controlling heme levels in the system with the application of specific regulators.”

Dr. Sahoo’s research work will provide a critical model for reducing the risks of CVD and focus on developing prevention strategies. The anticipated outcome of this study could also help us to understand why some individuals are more susceptible to cardiovascular diseases than others.

The goal of Dr. Sahoo’s research project is to define the impacts of heme and heme degradation products (CO) on cardiovascular function by addressing the following questions.

• How do heme and CO impact cardiac ion channels?
• Does excess heme and CO alter mitophagy in cardiac cells?

RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY

The NIGMS grant will facilitate UTRGV to exploit its long-term commitment to health and wellness for the benefit of the community, students, and faculty.

“Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the Valley, this research could help us identify an important target that can be inhibited or harnessed for therapeutic applications,” Dr. Sahoo said. “The outcome of our work will advance our knowledge about cardiovascular disease and help us to establish new treatment modalities.”

The research supported by this grant will have a direct impact on graduate and undergraduate students interested in biomedical sciences. Students will have the opportunity to get involved in cutting-edge research and develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will make them highly recruited by employers, professional schools, and graduate schools.

“Grants of this caliber put UTRGV one step closer to its goal of becoming a Carnegie Classified Research I university and signifies that our biology faculty are engaged in the highest level of research in the United States,” said Robert K Dearth, Ph.D., Professor, and Chair of the Biology Department.

(From left) Dr. Nirakar Sahoo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology and Chemistry, Harpreet Kaur, biochemistry, and molecular biology graduate student, Tripti Saini, biology graduate student, Amit Sharma, biology graduate student.

“This grant increases the national visibility of the UTRGV Department of Biology and College of Sciences,” Dr. Dearth said. “It enhances our ability to recruit a diverse group of talented faculty and students for our programs in the future.”

This grant will allow UTRGV to produce Ion channel function research publications that are published in high-impact journals and are given favorable ratings by biomedical science citation indexes.

ABOUT NIGMS

According to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, “ (NIGMS) supports basic research that increases our understanding of biological processes and lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. NIGMS-funded scientists investigate how living systems work at a range of levels—from molecules and cells to tissues and organs—in research organisms, humans, and populations. Additionally, to ensure the vitality and continued productivity of the research enterprise, NIGMS provides leadership in training the next generation of scientists, enhancing the diversity of the scientific workforce, and developing research capacity throughout the country.”

ABOUT UTRGV

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund – a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.

UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, and South Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016.