Rajan Sah, MD, PhD

Appointments

Professor of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Division
Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology

Research interests

Ion channel regulation of cellular metabolism in adipocytes, islet cells, skeletal/cardiac muscle with respect to:

• Cardiometabolic disease.

• Mechanobiology, Mechano-signaling and Mechano-transduction.

• Small molecule modulators of systemic metabolism and glucose homeostasis.

My passion is to discover, develop and deliver better therapies for patients with cardiovascular disease. To this end I have directed my research efforts to identifying novel and innovative biological targets to open new, untested therapeutic avenues. My PhD training with Dr. Peter Backx and subsequent postdoctoral training with Dr. David Clapham in electrophysiology, ion channel signaling and calcium handling provides a unique mechanistic perspective into traditionally “non-electrical” diseases such as obesity and diabetes – diseases that ultimately culminate in heart disease and a huge burden of disability. Accordingly, since starting my independent research program, a major goal of my laboratory is to study the function of novel ion channels; specifically TRP channels (including TRPV3, TRPV4 and TRPM7), and the recently identified volume regulatory anion channel SWELL1 (LRRC8a) as they relate to growth and metabolism. To do this we combine cellular electrophysiology, calcium imaging (GCaMP6) and novel genetic techniques (including transient and stable lenti/AAV-shRNA-mediated knockdown and CRISPR-mediated knockout) in cultured cells (mouse and human) and freshly isolated, primary adipocytes, pancreatic β-cells, hepatocytes, skeletal myocytes, and endothelium. Genetic loss-of-function (CRISPR-mediated and conventional) mouse models for these ion channels are also used to examine their functions in vivo and in disease settings. By taking a “wideangle” view of ion channel signaling in biology, my laboratory has established several new independent research directions (in part through collaborative relationships) that emanates from our findings and leverages unique molecular tools and skill sets established in our laboratory.