Muhammad Riaz, PhD, MPhil
Cards
Appointments
Contact Info
Cardiovascular Medicine
300 George Street, Room # 752
New Haven, Connecticut 06511
United States
About
Titles
Research Scientist
Appointments
Cardiovascular Medicine
Research ScientistPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- Postdoctoral Associate
- Yale School of Medicine (2019)
- Postdoctoral fellow
- Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands. (2016)
- PhD
- Erasmus University Medical Center, Medical Oncology (2013)
Research
Overview
I am investigating biomechanical signaling and molecular mechanisms underlying cardiomyopathies including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and amyloid cardiomyopathy (ACM). My research group routinely generates iPSCs from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of healthy individuals and patients via Sendai virus-based over-expression of Yamanaka transcription factors. This is coupled with the generation of isogenic iPSCs as control using genome editing technologies. Such patient-specific iPSCs and their corresponding isogenic controls are differentiated into functional cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) for disease modeling. Using such patient-specific iPSC-CMs and through comprehensive multi-model integrative approaches including culturing patient-specific iPSC-CMs in a 2-dimensional monolayer culture system or seeding them into a decellularized scaffold of pig myocardium to construct 3-dimensional engineered heart tissue (EHTs) coupled with computational modeling, I have uncovered new mechano-transduction signaling pathway operative in heart conditions (Riaz et al Circulation 2022). Moreover, I am involved in establishing the foundation for developing innovative mechanism-based treatments for cardiovascular diseases (Ng et al JCI Insight. 2019, Park et al Acta Biomater. 2020; Luo et al Cell Stem Cell 2020; Ellis et al, J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2021; Lou et al Circulation Research 2022).
Recently, I established a genome editing facility in Qyang’s laboratory at the Yale Cardiovascular Research Center. In this facility, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-cas9 (CRISPR-Cas9) and the transcription activator-like effector-nuclease (TALEN) techniques are being applied to sknock in/out genetic mutations in normal or in patient-specific iPSCs to establish causal relations of the mutations with cardiovascular muscle functions (Riaz et al Circulation 2022). One of many emerging focuses of this facility is to create immunoevasive universal iPSCs for cardiovascular tissue repair and regeneration in allogeneic settings. In collaboration with Professor Al Sinusas's group at Yale University School of Medicine, I am also pursuing the regenerative potential of the iPSC-derived ISL1+ cardiovascular progenitors for ischemic heart repair in small (mouse/rat) and large (pig) preclinical models. These efforts focus on understanding the molecular basis for myocardial ischemia, angiogenesis, arteriogenesis, atrial and ventricular remodeling, and peripheral artery disease using multi-modality imaging techniques.
Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Publications Timeline
Research Interests
Yibing Qyang, PhD
Stuart Campbell
Yan Huang, PhD
Daniel Jacoby, MD
Caihong Qiu, PhD
Christopher Anderson, BSc
Stem Cells
Publications
2024
De Novo Elastin Assembly Alleviates Development of Supravalvular Aortic Stenosis—Brief Report
Ellis M, Riaz M, Huang Y, Anderson C, Hoareau M, Li X, Luo H, Lee S, Park J, Luo J, Batty L, Huang Q, Lopez C, Reinhardt D, Tellides G, Qyang Y. De Novo Elastin Assembly Alleviates Development of Supravalvular Aortic Stenosis—Brief Report. Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis And Vascular Biology 2024, 44: 1674-1682. PMID: 38752350, PMCID: PMC11209776, DOI: 10.1161/atvbaha.124.320790.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsSupravalvular aortic stenosisVascular smooth muscle cellsSmooth muscle cellsMuscle cellsAortic stenosisMedial vascular smooth muscle cellsVascular proliferative diseasesEpigallocatechin gallate treatmentProliferative abnormalitiesPreclinical findingsHeart failureLuminal occlusionMouse modelCell hyperproliferationDefective elastinProliferative diseasesCardiovascular disordersFormation of elastinTherapeutic interventionsElastin assemblyElastin depositionStenosisMiceAortic mechanicsImproper formation
2022
Signaling network model of cardiomyocyte morphological changes in familial cardiomyopathy
Khalilimeybodi A, Riaz M, Campbell S, Omens J, McCulloch A, Qyang Y, Saucerman J. Signaling network model of cardiomyocyte morphological changes in familial cardiomyopathy. Journal Of Molecular And Cellular Cardiology 2022, 174: 1-14. PMID: 36370475, PMCID: PMC10230857, DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2022.10.006.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMuscle LIM Protein Force-Sensing Mediates Sarcomeric Biomechanical Signaling in Human Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Riaz M, Park J, Sewanan LR, Ren Y, Schwan J, Das SK, Pomianowski PT, Huang Y, Ellis MW, Luo J, Liu J, Song L, Chen IP, Qiu C, Yazawa M, Tellides G, Hwa J, Young LH, Yang L, Marboe CC, Jacoby DL, Campbell SG, Qyang Y. Muscle LIM Protein Force-Sensing Mediates Sarcomeric Biomechanical Signaling in Human Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Circulation 2022, 145: 1238-1253. PMID: 35384713, PMCID: PMC9109819, DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.121.056265.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsHypertrophic cardiomyopathySarcomeric mutationsFamilial hypertrophic cardiomyopathySudden cardiac deathCardiac myosin heavy chainMechanism-based treatmentsDevelopment of hypertrophyActivated T cellsCalcineurin-nuclear factorForce productionPhenotypic expressionPluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytesStem cell-derived cardiomyocytesHeart failureCardiac deathVentricular hypertrophyCell-derived cardiomyocytesCardiac contractilityPharmacological interventionsT cellsCardiac diseaseCardiac hypertrophyPatient-specific induced pluripotent stem cellsPharmacological meansTwitch relaxationReadily Available Tissue-Engineered Vascular Grafts Derived From Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Luo J, Qin L, Park J, Kural MH, Huang Y, Shi X, Riaz M, Wang J, Ellis MW, Anderson CW, Yuan Y, Ren Y, Yoder MC, Tellides G, Niklason LE, Qyang Y. Readily Available Tissue-Engineered Vascular Grafts Derived From Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. Circulation Research 2022, 130: 925-927. PMID: 35189711, PMCID: PMC9113663, DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.121.320315.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetric
2021
Epigallocatechin gallate facilitates extracellular elastin fiber formation in induced pluripotent stem cell derived vascular smooth muscle cells for tissue engineering
Ellis MW, Riaz M, Huang Y, Anderson CW, Luo J, Park J, Lopez CA, Batty LD, Gibson KH, Qyang Y. Epigallocatechin gallate facilitates extracellular elastin fiber formation in induced pluripotent stem cell derived vascular smooth muscle cells for tissue engineering. Journal Of Molecular And Cellular Cardiology 2021, 163: 167-174. PMID: 34979103, PMCID: PMC8920537, DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2021.12.014.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsPluripotent stem cellsTissue engineeringStem cell derivativesPluripotent stem cell derivativesInduced pluripotent stem cellsStem cellsGraft productionMechanical strengthExtracellular formationExpression systemCell derivativesVascular smooth muscle cellsElastin fiber formationEngineered graftSmooth muscle cellsFiber formationNotable obstacleLack of elastinMuscle cellsEngineeringClinical applicationVascular graftsCell proliferative capacityElastin productionProliferative capacityMethods for Differentiating hiPSCs into Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells
Li ML, Luo J, Ellis MW, Riaz M, Ajaj Y, Qyang Y. Methods for Differentiating hiPSCs into Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells. Methods In Molecular Biology 2021, 2375: 21-34. PMID: 34591296, DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1708-3_3.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsHuman induced pluripotent stem cellsVascular smooth muscle cellsPluripotent stem cellsLateral plate mesodermEarly embryonic developmentStem cellsSmooth muscle cellsHuman pluripotent stem cellsInduced pluripotent stem cellsExtracellular matrix proteinsMuscle cellsMesoderm lineagePlate mesodermEmbryonic developmentVascular cell sourceEmbryoid bodiesEB formationMatrix proteinsCellular interactionsDisease modelingPhysiological characteristicsVascular tissueTissue-engineered vascular graftsCell-based therapiesCell replacement
2020
Efficient Differentiation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells into Endothelial Cells under Xenogeneic-free Conditions for Vascular Tissue Engineering
Luo J, Shi X, Lin Y, Yuan Y, Kural MH, Wang J, Ellis MW, Anderson CW, Zhang SM, Riaz M, Niklason LE, Qyang Y. Efficient Differentiation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells into Endothelial Cells under Xenogeneic-free Conditions for Vascular Tissue Engineering. Acta Biomaterialia 2020, 119: 184-196. PMID: 33166710, PMCID: PMC8133308, DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2020.11.007.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsVascular tissue engineeringTissue engineeringSmall-diameter TEVGsDynamic bioreactor systemShear stressBioreactor systemCell alignmentVascular graftsXenogeneic-free conditionsEngineeringEndothelializationTEVGsApplicationsEndothelial cellsConditionsHuman induced pluripotent stem cellsAnimal-derived reagentsXenogeneic-free generation of vascular smooth muscle cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells for vascular tissue engineering
Luo J, Lin Y, Shi X, Li G, Kural MH, Anderson CW, Ellis MW, Riaz M, Tellides G, Niklason LE, Qyang Y. Xenogeneic-free generation of vascular smooth muscle cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells for vascular tissue engineering. Acta Biomaterialia 2020, 119: 155-168. PMID: 33130306, PMCID: PMC8168373, DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2020.10.042.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsVascular tissue engineeringTissue-engineered vascular graftsTissue engineeringComparable mechanical strengthVascular smooth muscle cellsMechanical strengthSmooth muscle cellsPolyglycolic acid scaffoldsTechnology one stepBiodegradable polyglycolic acid (PGA) scaffoldsXenogeneic-free conditionsAnimal-derived reagentsMuscle cellsVSMC differentiationImmunodeficient mouse modelEngineeringVascular graftsOne-stepStem cellsPluripotent stem cellsMouse modelCollagen depositionComparable capacityBlood vesselsAcid scaffoldsAge-Associated Salivary MicroRNA Biomarkers for Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy.
Raz V, Kroon RHMJM, Mei H, Riaz M, Buermans H, Lassche S, Horlings C, Swart B, Kalf J, Harish P, Vissing J, Kielbasa S, van Engelen BGM. Age-Associated Salivary MicroRNA Biomarkers for Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy. International Journal Of Molecular Sciences 2020, 21 PMID: 32842713, PMCID: PMC7503697, DOI: 10.3390/ijms21176059.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchA data-driven methodology reveals novel myofiber clusters in older human muscles.
Raz Y, van den Akker EB, Roest T, Riaz M, van de Rest O, Suchiman HED, Lakenberg N, Stassen SA, van Putten M, Feskens EJM, Reinders MJT, Goeman J, Beekman M, Raz V, Slagboom PE. A data-driven methodology reveals novel myofiber clusters in older human muscles. FASEB Journal : Official Publication Of The Federation Of American Societies For Experimental Biology 2020, 34: 5525-5537. PMID: 32141137, DOI: 10.1096/fj.201902350R.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
Academic Achievements and Community Involvement
activity Reviewer
Journal ServiceInternational Food Research JournalDetails09/01/2018 - Presentactivity Reviewer
Journal ServiceJournal of Personalized MedicineDetails10/01/2018 - Presentactivity Reviewer
Journal ServiceInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public HealthDetails10/01/2018 - Presentactivity Reviewer
Journal ServiceBioMed Central CancerDetails10/01/2012 - Presentactivity Reviewer
Journal ServiceAnimal Genetics and GenomicsDetails10/01/2019 - Present
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Cardiovascular Medicine
300 George Street, Room # 752
New Haven, Connecticut 06511
United States
Locations
Qyang's Lab
Lab
300 George Street, Wing 7th floor,, Ste Room # 752
New Haven, CT 06511
General Information
203.737.3431