Charles Thodeti, Ph.D, received a $1.5 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to help further his work on repairing the heart after a heart attack titled, “Mechanotransduction in myocardial adaptation to ischemia.”

With heart disease being the number one killer in the world, Dr. Thodeti, assistant professor at NEOMED in Integrative Medical Sciences, uses this as his inspiration to fuel his heart research.

After a heart attack, heart muscle tissue will die and the activation of fibroblasts will work to help repair the damaged tissue. Excessive activation of these cells can cause cardiac fibrosis, which can eventually lead to heart failure. However, there is only one drug available that is able to treat fibrosis, and the molecular mechanism of fibroblast activation after a heart attack is not well known.

Dr. Thodeti’s research focuses on TRPV4 channels (Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 4) and their role in fibroblast activation. These channels act as mechano-sensors, converting the mechanical forces generated by the beating heart into biochemical signals required for fibroblast activation and fibrosis. The main goal of his research is to gain an understanding of the mechanism behind this process and someday be able to reverse cardiac fibrosis and prevent heart failure.

Another focus of Dr. Thodeti’s lab is studying blood vessel growth and function.  “The blood vessels in the body are like plumbing in a house. If there was a leak or a blockage, it would lead to collapse if not repaired, as seen in many diseases such as cancer. I would like to act as a molecular plumber to repair blood vessels,” said Dr. Thodeti.

Dr. Thodeti proposes an innovative approach based on mechanical signaling to prune blood vessels, but not destroy, so that he can improve delivery of anti-cancer drugs to reduce tumor growth. This work is currently being funded by a grant through the American Heart Association.

In 2015, Dr. Thodeti received an invitation to be a part of the editorial board of Circulation Research, the top journal in the field of heart research.

Some of his responsibilities on the board include reviewing manuscripts, preparation of editorial articles and reviews, suggestions for potential reviews, and advice on the general operations and strategic direction of the journal.

Dr. Thodeti has been at NEOMED for six years. In addition to his research, he teaches lectures on cardiovascular physiology for the Physiological Basis of Medicine course, as well as graduate courses for doctoral students at the College of Graduate Studies and Kent State University School of Biomedical Sciences.

In his lab, he works with a team of two graduate students who are earning doctorates from Kent State, Ravi Adapala and Holly Cappelli and a post-doctoral fellow, Dr. Koteswararao Kanugula.