School of Medicine

Lazartigues Laboratory

From Gene to Function: the Role of the Renin-Angiotensin System in the Regulation of Cardiovascular Function .

News from the Lab: 

• New collaborative paper entitled “Nedd4-2 upregulation is associated with ACE2 ubiquitination in hypertension” published in Cardiovascular Research (5/2023).
• Dr. Mona Elgazzaz received the 2023 Neural Control & Autonomic Regulation (NCAR) Section Research Recognition Award for postdoctoral research from The American Physiological Society (4/2023).
• Dr. Uma Priya Mohan, PhD joins the lab as a Postdoctoral Fellow (4/2023).
• Dr. Mohammed Alnoud, PhD joins the lab as a Postdoctoral Fellow (3/2023).
• Dr. Lazartigues receives the Louis Levy, II, MD Professorship of Research Cardiology (12/2022).
• Dr. Lazartigues was nominated Director of the Cardiovascular Center of Excellence at LSU Health - New Orleans (6/2022).
• Dr. Lazartigues was awarded a new 4-year R01 from NHLBI to study ACE2 downregulation in hypertension (4/2022).
• Dr. Mona Elgazzaz successfully defended her dissertation. She will graduate in May 2022. For now, she will remain within our group as a Postdocotoral Fellow. (4/2022)
• Dr. Mona Elgazzaz was selected to present her data in the  Brain Control of Food intake and Peripheral Metabolism Topic sponsored by the American Diabetes Association. Her oral presentation is scheduled during the ADA 82nd Scientific Sessions meeting in New Orleans on June 5^th 2022. (3/2022)
• Dr. Clara Berdasco was selected to receive the 2022 Endocrinology and Metabolism Section Steven M. Horvath Professional Opportunity Award and the Martin Frank Diversity Travel Award of The American Physiological Society. Dr. Berdasco was also selected to present her data in the New Investigator and Research Recognition Awards Session Featured Topic sponsored by the APS Endocrinology and Metabolism section. Her oral presentation is scheduled during the Experimental Biology meeting in Philadelphia on April 5^th 2022. (2/2022)
• Dr. Navya Lakkappa was selected to present her data in the  Cellular Signaling and Transduction Featured Topic sponsored by the APS Cell and Molecular Physiology section. Her oral presentation is scheduled during the Experimental Biology meeting in Philadelphia on April 3^rd 2022. (2/2022)
• Dr. Mona Elgazzaz was selected to receive the 2022 Neural Control & Autonomic Regulation (NCAR) Section Steven M. Horvath Professional Opportunity Award of The American Physiological Society. Dr. Elgazzaz was also selected to present her data in the  Neural Control of Glucose and Energy Homeostasis Featured Topic sponsored by NCAR. Her oral presentation is scheduled during the Experimental Biology meeting in Philadelphia on April 3^rd 2022. (2/2022)
• We are honored to be one of the 19 recipients of the 2021 NIH Director's Transformative Research Awards. NIH Director's Transformative Research Award Program - Award Recipients. (10/2021)
• From our collaboration with Dr. Han-Jun Wang (University of Nebraska), "Voltage-Gated Potassium Channel Dysfunction in Dorsal Root Ganglia Contributes to the Exaggerated Exercise Pressor Reflex in Rats with Chronic Heart Failure" was accepted for publication in AJP Heart. (7/2021) 
• From our collaboration with Dr. Franck Mauvais-Jarvis (Tulane University), "SARS-CoV-2 infection of the pancreas promotes thrombo-fibrosis and is associated with new-onset diabetes" was accepted for publication in JCI Insight. (7/2021) 
• To support investigators interested in ACE2 research, we made our ACE2 conditional KO mouse available via the Mutant Mouse Resource and Research Center (B6J.B6N(Cg)-Ace2^{tm1c(KOMP)Wtsi}/LazarMmucd, 066973-UCD). (5/2021)
• Mr. Md Abdul Awoal successfully defended his Master of Biomedical Sciences. (3/2021)
• Dr. Mona Elgazzaz was selected to present her data as an oral abstract presentation at the American Diabetes Association’s 81st Scientific Sessions. It will also be published on the journal Diabetes® website. (3/2021)
• Mr. Md. Abdul Awoal was selected to present his data in a Featured Topic sponsored by the Cell & Molecular Physiology Section. His oral presentation during the Experimental Biology meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 27 2021. (2/2021)
• Dr. Navya Lakkappa was selected to receive the 2021 Research Recognition Award from the Central Nervous System Section of The American Physiological Society. Dr. Lakkappa was also selected to present her data in a Featured Topic sponsored by the Neuro Control and Autonomic Regulation section. Her oral presentation during the Experimental Biology meeting will be held on Friday, April 30 2021. (2/2021)
• From our collaboration with Drs. Xinping Yue and Jason Gardner (LSUHSC-NO Physiology), Ms. Tamara Morris' manuscript entitled "Angiotensin-II type 1 receptor mediates pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular remodeling induced by inhaled nicotine" was accepted for publication in Am. J. Physiol. Heart Circ. Physiol. (2/2021)
• Dr. Mona Elgazzaz was selected to receive the 2021 Research Recognition Award from the Gastrointestinal & Liver Physiology Section of The American Physiological Society. Dr. Elgazzaz was selected to present her data in a Featured Topic sponsored by the Translational Physiology Interest Group . Her oral presentation during the Experimental Biology meeting will be held on Friday, April 30 2021. (1/2021)
• From our collaboration with Dr. Catalin Filipeanu (Howard University), "Angiotensin Type 1 Receptor-Dependent Internalization of SARS-CoV-2 by Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2" was accepted for publication in Hypertension. (1/2021) 
• Dr. Mona Elgazzaz's  manuscript entitled " Epigenetic modifications of the renin-angiotensin system in cardiometabolic diseases " was accepted for publication in Clinical Sciences. This paper is featured on the cover of the January 2021 issue (12/2020)
• A new review from our lab to help researchers navigate through the various ACE2 murine models and their relevance to COVID-19. "ACE2 mouse models: a toolbox for cardiovascular and pulmonary research". (10/2020)
• Drs. Mazher Mohammed and Clara Berdasco  manuscript entitled " Brain angiotensin converting enzyme-2 in central cardiovascular regulation " was accepted for publication in Clinical Sciences. (9/2020)
• From our collaboration with Dr. Catalin Filipeanu (Howard University), "The actin bundling protein fascin-1 as an ACE2-accessory protein" was accepted for publication in Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology. (8/2020) 
• Dr. Jiaxi Xu was selected as a 2020 Paul Dudley White International Scholar for the highest ranked abstract submitted from China to the Hypertension 2020 Scientific Sessions from the American Heart Association. (7/2020)
• Drs. Thyago Queiroz and Navya Lakkappa manuscript entitled "ADAM17-mediated shedding of inflammatory cytokines in hypertension" was accepted for publication in Frontiers in Pharmacology-Inflammation Pharmacology section. (7/2020)
• Dr. Mona Elgazzaz was selected to receive the Top Trainee Advocacy Award from the American Heart Association-Hypertension Council. (7/2020)
• Dr. Jiaxi Xu manuscript entitled "Expression of ACE2 in Human Neurons Supports the Neuro-Invasive Potential of COVID-19 Virus" was accepted for publication in Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology. (7/2020)

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