The long-term goal of our research program is to better understand the age- and disease-linked deficits in protein homeostasis that contribute to disease-related cardiac dysfunction, and to use this understanding to identify cellular targets that may serve as viable new therapeutic candidates.
A major research direction of our lab is to study how heart disease affects gene expression at the post-transcriptional level, which is of major importance for maintaining protein homeostasis. We also study adaptive responses of the heart mediated by proteins secreted by the heart, in order to define potential therapeutic approaches that use the heart’s natural defenses.
The Doroudgar Lab is part of the Translational Cardiovascular Research Center (TCRC) in the Department of Internal Medicine at the The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix.
If you are interested in joining our team, please contact us.
Check out our editorial on the publication by Yang et al. from XJ Wang’s lab, which provides the first genetic examination of a proteasome phosphosite in animals, showing cAMP-dependent PKA (protein kinase A)-induced proteasome activation protects against proteotoxicity.
Dr. Aghajani presented her work at the Arizona Postdoctoral Research Conference on 9/22/23 at the UA College of Medicine-Phoenix, Phoenix Bioscience Core, Virginia G. Piper Auditorium.
Christoph Hofmann’s exciting new paper “mTORC1 inhibition impairs activation of the unfolded protein response and induces cell death during ER stress in cardiomyocytes" is published in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology! Here, we found that mTORC1 is transiently activated early in response to ER stress and is essential for the upregulation of adaptive unfolded protein response genes and cell survival. Great job, Christoph and team!
Shirin delivers Department of Internal Medicine Grand Rounds on Friday 8/25/23.
Congratulations to Dr. Marjan Aghajani! Dr. Aghajani was awarded the prestigious Postdoctoral Research Development Grant. She has received the title of University of Arizona Sursum Fellow. Sursum is Latin for “upwards” and is featured at the center of the University of Arizona seal.
Shirin Doroudgar, PhD is Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix and the Translational Cardiovascular Research Center (TCRC). Her research program utilizes integrative approaches from molecular and organellar to cellular and organismal levels to examine the dynamics of the protein homeostasis network in health and disease. The Doroudgar Lab’s current focus is on studies of cellular stress responses that underlie the dynamic remodeling of the cardiac myocyte proteome and secretome.
Our studies utilize integrative approaches from molecular and organellar to cellular and organismal levels to examine the dynamics of the protein homeostasis network in health and disease. Since protein homeostasis is a critical determinant of cell and organism health, our research focuses on identifying key molecular regulators of protein homeostasis. Our long-term goal is to better understand the age- and disease-linked changes in protein homeostasis that contribute to heart disease, and to use this understanding to identify proteins that could serve as viable candidates as new therapeutic targets. Currently, our research is primarily related to cardiac pathology, but our work has potential applications in other areas, including cancer biology, neurobiology, and regenerative medicine.
Doctor of Philosophy, Biology, 2012
Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego, CA
Bachelor of Science, Molecular Biology, 2005
Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego, CA