When Shayan Mohammadmoradi, PhD, started thinking about his future in science, he wasn鈥檛 sure whether he wanted to become a physician or a researcher. What ultimately pulled him toward research was the chance to follow his own curiosity.
鈥淚 decided that I wanted to try research because flexibility is there 鈥 you get to ask the questions yourself and then get to try to find the answers to them,鈥 he said.
That spirit of inquiry has guided Mohammadmoradi through an impressive trajectory in cardiovascular research, leading to exciting learning experiences and award-winning work.
Mohammadmoradi first joined 海角禁区鈥檚 Saha Cardiovascular Research Center as a Ph.D. student in the lab of Alan Daugherty, PhD, DSc, center director, professor, and chair of the 海角禁区 College of Medicine Department of Physiology. There, he immersed himself in the study of aortic diseases, specifically abdominal aortic aneurysm, a life-threatening condition that often progresses silently and has no current non-surgical treatment options.
鈥淒uring that time, I started to understand what basic research really is,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e were trying to uncover the underlying mechanisms of disease and how those findings can translate into improved clinical outcomes.鈥
He credits 海角禁区鈥檚 鈥渢hriving research environment,鈥 unparalleled resources, supportive faculty and strong national reputation in cardiovascular science for his decision to stay in Lexington to complete his postdoctoral work.
Under the guidance of Sidney 鈥淲ally鈥 Whiteheart, PhD, professor of molecular and cellular biochemistry, Mohammadmoradi pivoted to studying platelet biology, which he quickly discovered complemented his earlier work in vascular disease. Whiteheart鈥檚 lab has been long supported by grants from the of the National Institutes of Health.
Mohammadmoradi describes the lab, which he joined in 2023, as 鈥渁 very collaborative and supportive research group,鈥 where his ideas were encouraged and the project rapidly took shape.
The cardiovascular researcher is now investigating the role of platelets, or 鈥渢he band-aids of the blood,鈥 as he describes them, in the development of aortic aneurysms. At the center of his study was VAMP-8, a protein he likens to a 鈥済atekeeper鈥 that controls the release of more than 300 compounds stored in platelets.
鈥淲hen platelets respond to injury, they release these compounds 鈥 but sometimes they release too much, and too much isn鈥檛 always good,鈥 he said. Their findings revealed not only that platelets contribute to disease progression, but that regulating VAMP-8-mediated release of these compounds could entirely prevent aneurysm formation in animal models.
鈥淭his was a brand-new concept in the field,鈥 Mohammadmoradi said. 鈥淏ridging platelet biology and vascular pathology gave us a different lens to view and address this disease. These findings could reshape our understanding of how platelet-targeted therapies might be used not only in thrombosis but also in preventing complex vascular diseases like aneurysms, a shift that could open entirely new avenues for treatment.鈥
This work recently earned Mohammadmoradi the prestigious from the American Heart Association (AHA), recognizing exceptional contributions by early-career scientists in the field.
This wasn鈥檛 his first recognition from the AHA. In the past year, Mohammadmoradi was recognized as a finalist for the AHA鈥檚 Elaine W. Raines Early Career Investigator Award. He was also awarded a competitive AHA postdoctoral fellowship, which helped fund the foundational phases of this award-winning project. 鈥淭he fellowship support really contributed to making this research possible,鈥 he said.
Beyond the bench, Mohammadmoradi has long been active within the AHA community. He currently serves as chair-elect of the membership committee for the AHA鈥檚 Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (ATVB) Council, one of the organization鈥檚 most prominent scientific bodies 鈥 and one with deep ties to 海角禁区. His former mentor, Daugherty, served as editor-in-chief of the AHA鈥檚 ATVB journal for a decade, during which time the journal鈥檚 editorial home was located at 海角禁区鈥檚 Saha Cardiovascular Research Center.
Mohammadmoradi is also one of the AHA鈥檚 lead scientific communicators, a role dedicated to making complex science accessible to non-scientific audiences. 鈥淥ur goal is to communicate the message of the AHA in a way the public can understand,鈥 he said.
Now in the final phase of his postdoctoral fellowship, Mohammadmoradi is preparing to launch his own independent research program.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to keep asking and answering questions that have a big impact, not only on the health of the Commonwealth that I鈥檝e called home for more than a decade now, but also on a broader scale,鈥 he said.
Outside of academia, Mohammadmoradi is also a certified fitness and nutrition coach, a role he鈥檚 maintained for over 10 years. 鈥淢y goal is to get everyone motivated to be a little bit more active and make better choices in their daily routine,鈥 he said. It鈥檚 another expression of his commitment to heart health and to making science meaningful in everyday life.
Ultimately, what has kept Mohammadmoradi at 海角禁区 through every stage of his academic career is the University鈥檚 uniquely collaborative and well-resourced research environment. 鈥淲e鈥檙e fortunate to be one of the research centers in the country, if not the world, that has all of this expertise in very close proximity,鈥 he said.
鈥淭he infrastructure, the depth of knowledge, and the spirit of collaboration are what make it possible to do this kind of work here.鈥
This work was supported by American Heart Association Agreement # 25POST1378684 / Shayan Mohammadmoradi / 2025.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R35HL150818. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
