Alongside educating the next generations of physicians and researchers, the laboratory of Viswanathan (Vishwa) Rajagopalan is aimed at developing new therapeutic and diagnostic tools catering to the unmet needs of cardiovascular and integrative medicine. He mentors medical, graduate and undergraduate trainees, students, and research scholars who often earn prestigious awards and honors, and co-authorship on conference presentations and high-impact peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Raj has reviewed grants and awards for the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, American Heart Association, American Physiological Society, etc. Dr. Raj also serves in leadership capacities in organizations such as the American Physiological Society and the Society for South Asian Heart Research. He has also obtained and is an investigator in grants from multiple organizations and institutions.
Dr. Raj began his career at the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, where India’s heart transplant program was pioneered. He obtained comprehensive general and cardiothoracic clinical training and earned a degree from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS). Following his tenure as a healthcare professional, Dr. Raj moved to the United States for advanced training in cardiovascular sciences. After completing his doctoral studies in molecular and translational aspects of physiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, he completed an American Heart Association-funded Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Stanford University Medical Center, which is known for groundbreaking contributions to human heart transplantation.
Recent Projects/Research
- Roles of noncoding RNAs in cardiovascular, thyroid, and associated disorders
- Cutting-edge technologies such as synthetic biology, stem cells, CRISPR, and more
- Clinical and population-based research
Publications
- Theisen B, Holtz A, Rajagopalan V. Noncoding RNAs and Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes in Cardiac Arrhythmic Brugada Syndrome. Cells. 2023 Oct 3;12(19). doi: 10.3390/cells12192398. Review.
- Rajagopalan V, Chakraborty S, Lin R. Novel Transcriptomic Interactomes of Noncoding RNAs in the Heart under Altered Thyroid Hormonal States. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Mar 31;24(7). doi: 10.3390/ijms24076560.
- Rajagopalan V, Cao H. Cardiovascular Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Research, Diagnosis and Disease Management. In: Segall RS, Niu G, editors. Biomedical and Business Applications Using Artificial Neural Networks and Machine Learning [Internet] Hershey, PA, USA: IGI Global; 2022. Chapter 4; p.80-127. Available from: https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/cardiovascular-applications-of-artificial-intelligence-in-research-diagnosis-and-disease-management/294735.
- Rajagopalan V, Gorecki M, Costello C, Schultz E, Zhang Y, Gerdes AM. Cardioprotection by triiodothyronine following caloric restriction via long noncoding RNAs. Biomed Pharmacother. 2020 Nov;131:110657. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2020.110657. Epub 2020 Sep 14.
- V Rajagopalan, Y Zhang, C Pol, C Costello, S Seitter, A Lehto, OV Savinova, Y Chen, AM Gerdes. Modified Low-Dose Triiodo-L-thyronine Therapy Safely Improves Function Following Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury. Front Physiol. 2017 April 12; 8:225.
- V Rajagopalan, Y Zhang, K Ojamaa, Y-F Chen, A Pingitore, CJ Pol, D Saunders, K Balasubramanian, R Towner, AM Gerdes. Safe Oral Triiodo-L-thyronine Therapy Protects from Post-infarct Cardiac Dysfunction and Arrhythmias without Cardiovascular Adverse Effects. PLoS One. 2016 Mar 16;11(3):e0151413.
- V Rajagopalan, AM Gerdes. Role of Thyroid Hormones in Ventricular Remodeling. Current Heart Failure Reports. 2015 Apr;12(2):141-9.
- Y Zhang, EI Dedkov, D Teplitsky, NY Weltman, CJ Pol, V Rajagopalan, B Lee, AM Gerdes. Both Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism Increase Atrial Fibrillation Inducibility in Rats. Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology 2013 Oct1;6(5):952-9.
- V Rajagopalan, M Zhao, S Reddy, G Fajardo, X Wang, S Dewey, AV Gomes, D Bernstein. Altered ubiquitin-proteasome signaling in right ventricular hypertrophy and failure. American Journal of Physiology Heart and Circulatory Physiology 2013 Aug;305(4):H551-62.
- VA de Jesus Perez, K Yuan, ME Orcholski, H Sawada, M Zhao, CG Li, NF Tojais, N Nickel, V Rajagopalan, E Spiekerkoetter, L Wang, R Dutta, D Bernstein, M Rabinovitch. Loss of Adenomatous Poliposis Coli-a3 Integrin Interaction Promotes Endothelial Apoptosis in Mice and Humans. Circulation Research, 2012, Dec 7;111(12):1551-64.
Honors and Awards
- Fellow (Elected) of the Cardiovascular Section of the American Physiological Society, 2021
- Caroline Tum Suden/Frances Hellebrandt Professional Opportunity Award, American Physiological Society, 2015
- American Heart Association Postdoctoral Grant, Western States Affiliate, 2010-2012
- Stanford University Dean’s Postdoctoral Fellowship and Alex Vibber Endowed Fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology Research, Palo Alto, CA, 2009
- Cardiovascular Section Research Recognition Award, one of nine awards from the American Physiological Society (APS), Experimental Biology Conference, San Diego, CA, 2008
- American Heart Association (AHA) Abstract Travel Award, Council of Basic Cardiovascular Sciences (BCVS), AHA Scientific Sessions, Dallas, TX, 2005
Courses Taught at New York Tech
- Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Systems
- Genetics, Biochemistry and Applications
- Case-based Learning