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Education
1988 – 1993: Physics, MSc, University of Bucharest
1993 – 1997: Molecular Physics, PhD, Institute of Physics, Bucharest
1998 – 2000: Natural Sciences, Postdoc, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven
2000 – 2004: Chemistry and Biological Sciences, Postdoc, University of Chicago
Positions
2004 – 2005: Instructor of Research, University of Chicago Medical School
2005 – 2007: Research Assistant Professor, University of Chicago Medical School
2008 - Visiting scientist, Research Center Juelich, Germany
2008 – 2013: Assistant Professor, Pharmacology, University of California, Davis
2013 - 2017 Associate Professor, Pharmacology, University of Kentucky
1. Role of amylin dysregulation in vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (clinical trial)
2. Circulating biomarkers of diabetes-associated microvascular dysfunction
3. Preclinical studies on therapeutic amylin gene modulation to reduce amylin dyshomeostasis
1. R01 AG057290: Programming amylin secretion to slow brain aging - an animal model
2. R01AG053999: Role of Systemic Amylin Dyshomeostasis in Alzheimer's Disease
3. R01NS116058: The Amylin Dyshomeostasis Hypothesis of Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID)
1. Ly H, Verma N, Wu F, Liu M, Saatman KE, Nelson PT, Slevin JT, Goldstein LB, Biessels GJ, Despa F. Brain microvascular injury and white matter disease provoked by diabetes-associated hyperamylinemia. Ann Neurol. 2017;82, 208-222
2. Liu M, Verma N, Peng X, Srodulski S, Morris A, Chow M, Hersh LB, Chen J, Zhu H, Netea M, Margulies KB, Despa S and Despa F. Hyperamylinemia increases IL-1β synthesis in the heart via peroxidative sarcolemmal injury. Diabetes 2016;65, 2772-83
3. Erickson JR, Pereira L, Wang L, Han G, Ferguson A, Dao K, Copeland RJ, Despa F, Hart GW, Ripplinger CM, and Bers DM, Diabetic Hyperglycemia activates CaMKII and Arrhythmias by O linked Glycosylation. Nature. 2013; 502:372-6
4. Jackson K, Barisone GA, Diaz E, Jin L-W, DeCarli C, and Despa F. Amylin deposition in the brain: a second amyloid in Alzheimer’s disease? Ann Neurol 2013; 74: 517-26
5. Despa S, Margulies K, Chen L, Knowlton A, Havel PJ, Taegtmeyer H, Bers DM, Despa F. Hyperamylinemia contributes to cardiac dysfunction in obesity and diabetes- a study in humans and rats, Circ. Res. 2012; 110: 598-608