Rakesh B. Patel, PhD, a postdoctoral research scholar in the lab of Anil Chauhan, MTech, PhD, received a two-year, $155,952 American Heart Association (AHA) Postdoctoral Fellowship for his project “Role of von Willebrand factor in linking respiratory tract infection and onset of stroke.”
Approximately 25 to 30% of patients with ischemic stroke report a recent bacterial or viral infection. Preceding respiratory tract infections (RTI) due to bacteria or virus has been linked to an increasing risk of stroke likely by potentiating an inflammatory immune response, endothelial dysfunction, platelet activation and coagulopathy. Von Willebrand factor (VWF) plays a crucial role in hemostasis and thrombosis by promoting platelet adhesion to the subendothelial matrix, and factor VIII stabilization. Prior population-based studies suggest increased VWF levels and reduced ADAMTS13 activity as independent risk factors for stroke; however, a causal role of the VWF/ADAMTS13 axis in RTI-mediated stroke exacerbation has not been investigated yet. Patel will evaluate the role of the VWF/ADAMTS13 axis with preceding RTI and stroke severity.
Along with principal investigators Chauhan and Enrique Leira, MD, MS, professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Epidemiology, Patel is a co-investigator on the NIH/NINDS U01 award, which established the University of Iowa as a member of the Stroke Preclinical Assessment Network.
Patel credits his AHA award to his mentor, Chauhan, an accomplished investigator in the field of thrombosis, stroke, and vascular biology. “The excellent research environment and profound mentoring of Dr. Chauhan provide a platform for career development with the help of this post-doc fellowship,” Patel said. “Dr. Chauhan is a great mentor who creates an environment that is supportive, stimulating, and open-minded. His guidance in generating the preliminary data and in the grant-writing process has been very vital.”
Patel also credits valuable guidance from Leira, Prajwal Gurung, PhD, and Steven Lentz, MD, PhD, as well as his colleagues in the Chauhan Lab, who helped generate preliminary data for his project. “Last but not least, I would like to thank my wife and family for their constant support,” Patel said.