Sruti Shiva, PhD

Dr. Shiva’s research focuses broadly on understanding the mechanisms by which mitochondrial function is regulated, particularly by reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, and the contribution of these mechanisms to cardiovascular health and disease pathogenesis. Using a wide spectrum of techniques ranging from the biochemical study of isolated mitochondria to whole animal models and measurement of bioenergetic function in human blood cells, the Shiva lab is currently engaged in a number of active projects along with two major scientific themes. On a basic research level, Dr. Shiva’s lab is interested in the mechanisms by which reactive nitrogen species (nitric oxide, nitrite) and heme proteins (hemoglobin and myoglobin) regulate mitochondrial function. Dr. Shiva’s work has demonstrated that in the heart, reactions of nitrite and myoglobin are crucial to protecting mitochondria, leading to the preservation of heart tissue after ischemia/reperfusion. In contrast, her work has shown that in hemolytic diseases such as Sickle Cell Disease, free hemoglobin damages platelet mitochondria, ultimately leading to platelet dysfunction and thrombosis. On a more clinical/translational level, Dr. Shiva has optimized the methodology to measure bioenergetics in human platelets and is currently utilizing this technique to test whether platelets can be used as a biomarker for mitochondrial changes in human disease as well as whether this measure can be used as a prognostic indicator.