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Devasena Ponnalagu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which intracellular chloride channels mediate metabolic disorders associated with cardiovascular diseases. With diabetes recognized as a global epidemic affecting around 540 million individuals, cardiovascular diseases become a leading cause of mortality among diabetic patients. Impaired cardiac contractility in these patients is often linked to aberrant activity in cation channels, while the role of anion channels remains underexplored. Her lab's mission is to bridge this knowledge gap, specifically investigating how intracellular chloride channels located in mitochondria-associated membranes contribute to cardiac structural and functional defects in diabetes. Ponnalagu's research employs a combination of cellular and animal models, alongside molecular biology and biochemical techniques, to address critical questions in cardiac physiology and electrophysiology.
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