Imad Al Ghouleh, PhD

Dr. Al Ghouleh’s lab studies the mechanisms underlying right ventricular (RV) phenotypic changes in pulmonary hypertension (PH), a devastating disease with no existing curative treatment. The lab is focused on delineating the role of the NHE regulatory factor (NHERF) protein family in RV dysfunction and cardiac fibroblast reprogramming in PH.

The endothelium is important for initiation and progression of vascular remodeling in PH. The lab also studies the molecular pathways driving pulmonary vascular endothelial reprogramming, namely endothelial-to-mesenchymal transdifferentiation (EndMT), and the role of NHERF proteins in EndMT in PH.

There is an increasing appreciation for the role of the microbiome in various diseases. Few emerging studies show a link between gut dysbiosis and PH. The Al Ghouleh lab is investigating the molecular underpinnings of the role of gut microbiome-derived metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids, in endothelial dysfunction in PH.

Anas Al-Suraimi, MD

Alwalid Hejazi, MD

Mariah Berman, MS, MD

Mazin Rahman, MS

Carlos Iviricu, MD

James Kearney, MD

Benjamin Zhu

Zohaib Rahman

Kyle Chang

Sloane Simmons-McKenzie

Jacob Dubner

Joe Chen

Alexander Hoyt