Gender	Male
E-mail	fadi.akar@mssm.edu

Fadi G. Akar, Ph.D. received his doctoral degree in 2002 in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Akar was then a postdoctoral fellow, a research associate and an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology at Johns Hopkins University from 2002 to 2007. Dr. Akar joined the Cardiovascular Research Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 2007, where he established his cellular electrophysiology and arrhythmia laboratory.

Read more about the Akar Laboratory here.

Akar Lab Members:
1. Fadi G. Akar, PhD - Principal Investigator
2. Craig Feibusch - Graduate student
3. Christopher Ovanez - Graduate student
4. R. Daniel Nass - Post-doctoral fellow
5. Dongzhu Jin - Post-doctoral fellow
6. Hongwei Jin - Post-doctoral fellow
7. Alexander Lyon - Post-doctoral fellow
8. Elie R. Chemaly - Post-doctoral fellow

Ongoing Projects:
1. Modulation of Cardiac Contractility and Calcium Handling by Accessory Potassium Channel Subunits

2. Effects of Small Molecules Targeting Serca2a/Phospholamban Interactions on Cardiac Myocyte Contractility and Calcium

3. Electrophysiological remodeling underlying arrhythmias during transition from compensated hypertrophy to end stage heart failure

4. Modulation of conduction and arrhythmias by metabolic processes

5. Gene transfer of calcium handling proteins for reversing pathological electrical remodeling in heart failure

Summary of Research Studies:
Dr. Akar directs a translational arrhythmia research laboratory at Mount Sinai. Our work is aimed at uncovering mechanisms underlying sudden cardiac death across a variety of clinically relevant structural heart diseases. We specialize in developing integrative tools that allow us to undertake a systems biology approach to the investigation of arrhythmia mechanisms and to test novel treatment strategies.

The Akar Laboratory specializes in the use of integrative methodologies for the investigation of arrhythmia mechanisms in the heart. This involves developing novel imaging technologies, including voltage, calcium, and sodium fluorescent techniques for the assessment of electrical heterogeneities across the heart. A major focus of my work is the investigation of abnormalities in impulse formation, conduction, and repolarization using high-resolution optical mapping, and the elucidation of underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms, using state-of-the-art electrophysiological and molecular biological techniques. Specific areas of active research include mechanisms of mechano-electrical feedback, the electrophysiology of mechanical dyssynchrony and resynchronization therapy in canine and porcine models of heart failure, the interaction of myocardial energetics and electrical function in post-ischemic remodeling and reperfusion related arrhythmias, and the role of altered gene exp! ression and targeted gene delivery on ion channel function and arrhythmogenesis in cardiovascular diseases.

Jin H, Lyon AR, Akar FG. Arrhythmia Mechanisms in the Failing Heart. Pace 2008; 31: 1048-1055.

Lipsky R, Potts EM, Tarzami ST, Puckerin AA, Stocks J, Schecter AD, Sobie EA, Akar FG, Diverse-Pierluissi MA. Beta-adrenergic receptor activation induces internalization of cardiac Cav1.2 channel complexes through a beta-arrestin 1 mediated pathway [Epub ahead of print]. J Biol Chem 2008 May 5;.

Nass RD, Aiba T, Tomaselli GF, Akar FG. Mechanisms of Disease: ion channel remodeling in the failing ventricle. Nature Clin Pract Cardiovasc Med 2008; 5(4): 1-11.

Akar FG. The Perfect Storm: defective calcium cycling in insulated fibers with reduced repolarization reserve. Circ Res 2007; 101(10): 968-970.

O'Rourke B, Cortassa S, Akar F, Aon M. Mitochondrial ion channels in cardiac function and dysfunction. Novartis Found Symp 2007; 287: 140-151.

Akar FG, Nass RD, Hahn S, Cingolani E, Tomaselli GF, Hesketh GG, Disilvestre D, Tunin RS, Kass DA, Shah M. Dynamic Changes in Conduction Velocity and Gap Junction Properties During Development of Pacing Induced Heart Failure [Epub ahead of print]. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2007 Apr 13;.

Tse HF, Lau SP, Siu CW, Wang K, Zhang QW, Xue T, Tomaselli GF, Akar FG, Li RA. Cardiac automaticity induced by in vivo gene transfer of an engineered pacemaker (HCN) channel in a sick sinus syndrome animal model: From a translational perspective. Circulation 2006 Sep 5; 114(10): 1000-1011.

Akar FG, Aon MA, Tomaselli GF, O'Rourke B. The mitochondrial origin of post-ischemic arrhythmias. J. Clin. Invest 2005; 115(12): 3527-3535.

Akar FG, Tomaselli GF. Ion channels as novel therapeutic targets in heart failure. Ann Med 2005; 37(1): 44-54.

Akar FG, Spragg DD, Tunin RS, Kass DA, Tomaselli GF. Mechanisms Underlying Conduction Slowing in Non-ischemic Cardiomyopathy. Circ Res 2004 Oct 1; 95(7): 717-725.