Annet Kirabo, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Division
Clinical Pharmacology
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology
Professional Bio
Annet Kirabo, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology within the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Dr. Kirabo is interested in understanding the role of inflammation in hypertension. She obtained her PhD from the Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics at the University of Florida College of Medicine. During her PhD training, she was awarded an American Heart Association (AHA) predoctoral fellowship to determine the specific involvement of vascular smooth muscle cell expression of Jak2 in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease.
As a postdoctoral research fellow under the mentorship of Dr. David Harrison at Vanderbilt, she has investigated the role of inflammation in hypertension. Her studies have found that hypertension leads to activation of antigen presenting dendritic cells and that this is superoxide- and isoketal-mediated. She was awarded an AHA postdoctoral fellowship to complete these studies, which are now published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Dr. Kirabo’s current work involves investigating the mechanisms by which sodium promotes production of immunogenic isoketals in dendritic cells and how these isoketals act as neoantigens in hypertension. The goal of her research program is to define the molecular mechanisms underlying activation of the immune system in response to hypertensive stimuli including excess dietary salt, sympathetic nerve outflow, and oxidative stress.
She and her fellow researchers are attempting to uncover the mechanisms by which hypertensive stimuli lead to accumulation of isolevuglandins (IsoLGs) in antigen presenting cells and how these may activate the immune system. They use novel cutting-edge methods to isolate MHC-associated peptides and use mass spectrometry and proteomics to identify IsoLG-modified peptides presented by MHCs in hypertension. Their goal is to use these modified peptides to design immunotherapeutic approaches in hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Kirabo is interested in understanding the role of inflammation in hypertension. She obtained her PhD from the Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics at the University of Florida College of Medicine. During her PhD training, she was awarded an American Heart Association (AHA) predoctoral fellowship to determine the specific involvement of vascular smooth muscle cell expression of Jak2 in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease.
As a postdoctoral research fellow under the mentorship of Dr. David Harrison at Vanderbilt, she has investigated the role of inflammation in hypertension. Her studies have found that hypertension leads to activation of antigen presenting dendritic cells and that this is superoxide- and isoketal-mediated. She was awarded an AHA postdoctoral fellowship to complete these studies, which are now published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Dr. Kirabo’s current work involves investigating the mechanisms by which sodium promotes production of immunogenic isoketals in dendritic cells and how these isoketals act as neoantigens in hypertension. The goal of her research program is to define the molecular mechanisms underlying activation of the immune system in response to hypertensive stimuli including excess dietary salt, sympathetic nerve outflow, and oxidative stress.
She and her fellow researchers are attempting to uncover the mechanisms by which hypertensive stimuli lead to accumulation of isolevuglandins (IsoLGs) in antigen presenting cells and how these may activate the immune system. They use novel cutting-edge methods to isolate MHC-associated peptides and use mass spectrometry and proteomics to identify IsoLG-modified peptides presented by MHCs in hypertension. Their goal is to use these modified peptides to design immunotherapeutic approaches in hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
Education
DVM - Makerere Univ - Uganda - 2002
Fellowship - California Polytechnic Univ - 2004
Master - Cell & Molecular Biology - St. Cloud Univ, MN - 2006
PhD - Physiology & Functional Genomics - University of Florida - 2010