Agarwal Lab

• Gaining insights into the intricate intracellular processes crucial for cell signaling and ion channel regulation in cardiac myocytes.
• Investigating the factors responsible for disrupted subcellular signaling involved in the regulation of cardiac contractility.
• Identifying novel therapeutic targets to treat cardiac diseases.
• Current focus on understanding the regulation of cardiac function by the autonomic nervous system in health and disease.

Shailesh Agarwal, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pharmacology, studies the regulation of ion channels and cell signaling in the heart. This lab employs a diverse array of biophysical methods, such as whole cell patch clamp recordings and advanced imaging techniques, to further understand the causes of heart diseases. Using this knowledge, the Agarwal Lab aims to identify innovative therapeutic targets that could be used to prevent and treat these diseases.

• Shailesh Agarwal, Ph.D.: Principal Investigator
• Nisha Chouhan, Ph.D.: Postdoctoral Scholar
• Maria Paz Saldias Maulen, Ph.D.: Postdoctoral Scholar
• Andrea Agarwal, B.S.: Staff Research Associate

• Discovered that the β-adrenergic receptor-mediated compartmentalized signaling is modulated by the tight arrangement of subcellular organelles like mitochondrial and the sarcoplasmic reticulum.

• Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer Imaging
• Patch Clamp Electrophysiology
• Superresolution Microscopy

1. Regulation of compartmentalized cAMP signaling by mitochondria-associated spaces in adult ventricular myocytes.
   
   • Award: R01HL161122
   • Funding organization: National Institute of Health (NIH) - National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)