Dr Piruthivi Sukumar

Profile

I have been appointed as ProDean International for the Faculty of Medicine and Health in March 2021. My aim is to enhance the Faculty's global standing through which we can improve and diversify international students recruitment, global partnerships and also promote digital education and thus make the higher learning accessible to all including those in Global South.

I have studied the role of TRPC channels in metabolic diseases during my PhD with Prof David J Beech at Leeds (2006-10). I went on to study insulin resistance and ROS signalling in diabetes-induced vascular dysfunction during my postdoctoral work with Prof Mark Kearney in Medical School at Leeds (2010-12). Following that, I took up an Assistant Professor position at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, India. During my time at IIT, I continued to look at the role of ion channels in various components of metabolic syndrome (2013-16).

In autumn 2016, I took up University Academic Fellow position at LICAMM, School of Medicine, Leeds and continued my work on ion channels and cardiometabolic disorders. Our lab has identified that activation of mechanosensitive Piezo1 channels lead to insulin release from pancreatic beta cells. We have also identified a specific mutation which links to fatality in Covid-19 patients. Currently I am an Associate Professor in Cardiovascular Medicine.I am the Program Lead for the new MSc program on Cardiovascular Health and Disease.

Responsibilities

• Associate Professor in Cardiovascular Research
• Programme Lead, MSc Cardiovascular Health and Disease

Research interests

We are studying various calcium permeable ion channels including mechanosensitive channels in cardiovascular system and their role in both physiology and diseases process. Our aim is to elucidate pathophysiological underpinnings of metabolic diseases induced cardiovascular disorders. We use diverse models – from cells and transgenic models to human tissues and genomic data to achieve our goal. 

Qualifications

• MBChB
• Masters in Medical Science and Technology
• PhD (Patho-physiology)

Professional memberships

• Physiological Society UK
• American Heart Association
• Indian Medical Association

Student education

I teach in various undergraduate and postgraduate modules in School of Medicine in MBChB and other programs. I am the Program Lead for the new MSc program on Cardiovascular Health and Disease.

Research groups and institutes

• Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine
• Discovery and Translational Science
• Cardiometabolic
• British Heart Foundation - Cardiovascular research
• Multidisciplinary Cardiovascular Research Centre