A new sub-award for research to be conducted by McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Roberto Mota Alvidrez, MD (pictured), has been approved for funding. Dr. Mota Alvidrez is the principal investigator on the project, “Role of Cytosolic Phospholipase A2 in Vascular Wall Lipid Accumulation in Atherosclerosis,” which will be funded by the University of California (UC), San Diego Future Faculty of Cardiovascular Sciences (FOCUS) program. The specific objectives of the UC San Diego FOCUS program are to enhance the academic skills and research programs of underrepresented early career academics in cardiovascular sciences and success in obtaining NIH or equivalent funding. Underrepresented early career junior faculty and transitioning postdoctoral fellows who have cardiovascular scientific expertise maximally benefit from the program.
Dr. Mota Alvidrez is a Research Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. His research program identifies timely and accurate preclinical diagnostic modalities that can be translated to the clinic in diabetic vasculopathy. The program also focuses on identifying therapeutic targets and vascular drug delivery and immunotherapies in the still unresolved and important biomedical problem of diabetic vasculopathy with three innovative and timely approaches: 1) use of tissue specific knockout animal models with a focus in cardiovascular pathophysiology using translational small animal surgical approaches to mimic human conditions, 2) discovery of novel preventive and diagnostic cardiovascular serologic biomarkers of disease to translate preclinical point of care approaches in clinical pathology and laboratory medicine, and 3) implementation of molecular imaging and immunobiology assays and techniques for parallel in vivo cardiovascular morphology/function and protein/mRNA assays ex vivo using the state-of-the-art metabolomics and lipidomic assessment in genetically modified small animal models.
Congratulations, Dr. Mota Alvidrez!
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