AS

Arpeeta Sharma

Monash University, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation

Research areas: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Molecular Biology · Nitric Oxide and Endothelin Effects · Caveolin-1 and cellular processes · Angiogenesis and VEGF in Cancer

ORCID iD 0000-0003-2052-5931
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About

Dr Arpeeta Sharma leads a research program looking at novel therapeutic targets for diabetes-associated cardiovascular diseases. She holds a BSc Hons (King’s College, London) and a Master's and PhD in Pharmacology from University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada (2014). Dr Sharma was a Group Leader of the Cardiovascular Inflammation and Redox Biology Laboratory at the Baker Institute (Melbourne) before joining the Department of Diabetes at the School of Translational Medicine, Monash University as a Research Fellow in 2022. Dr Sharma has a proven track record in cardiovascular biology (38 publications; 1365 citations and a h-index=18). In the last 5 years, she has published 5 papers in the field of cardiovascular as a leading author. Dr Sharma has successfully led and completed numerous preclinical studies (~400 mice per study) using a variety of mouse models to study diabetes-induced cardiovascular complications for both grant-funded and industry-funded (Reata, Visterra and Bayer) projects. Her work has led to a NHMRC Early Career Fellowship (2015-2019) and independent project funding by NHMRC (CIC; IDEAS grant 2024-2027); Diabetes Australia (CIA 2019, 2022, 2023; >$200K) and pharmaceutical companies such as Bayer (CIA 2019; $130K). Dr Sharma has a growing international presence and is the inaugural recipient of the CSANZ-ACvA-ESC Ambassador Fellowship (Cardiovascular Society of Australia and New Zealand –Australian Cardiovascular Alliance–European Society of Cardiology) and an executive member of the Australian Atherosclerosis Society.

In her PhD, Dr Sharma characterised a peptide that could up-regulate the release of protective nitric oxide, the first specific peptide of its kind, which is now undergoing chemical screening in Phase I clinical trials. In 2015, Dr Sharma was awarded the NHMRC Peter Doherty Early Career Fellowship to explore key antioxidant and anti-inflammatory pathways involved in diabetes-induced vascular disease as well as therapeutics to limit cellular damage, without triggering detrimental side effects.
Dr Sharma has also previously demonstrated the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway exacerbates diabetes-induced cardiovascular complications and has shown the correlation between infiltrating immune cells and cardiovascular injury in preclinical models of diabetes. Currently, her work is focussing on complement C5a receptor modulation in the diabetic heart and RNA therapy for various targets involved in diabetes-associated vascular complications. Dr Sharma is trained in the generation of animal models of diabetes, assessment of cardiac and endothelial function, live tissue assays for measurement of inflammation and assessment leukocyte trafficking by flow cytometry.

Employment

Education

Education history is unavailable.

Projects & Funding

  • Inhibiting Complement C5a Receptors to Improve Heart Function in Type 2 Diabetes Diabetes Australia
    2023 - 2024
  • Modulating soluble guanylate cyclase activity to improve type 2 diabetic and hypertensive heart function. Diabetes Australia
    2022 - 2023
  • Characterisation of a novel mouse model to study diabetes and hypertension Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
    2021 - 2021
  • Targeting the inflammasome to ameliorate Type 2 Diabetic cardiac and vascular diseases. Diabetes Australia
    2019 - 2020
  • Ameliorating diabetes-associated atherosclerosis and diabetic nephropathy through modulation of soluble guanylate cyclase Bayer (Germany)
    2019 - 2021
  • Dissecting the angiogenic potential of Nrf2 in the diabetic setting Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
    2018 - 2018
  • Investigating the role of Nrf2 activation in diabetes-induced endothelial dysfunction. NHMRC
    2015 - 2019

Publications (49)