The Hong Laboratory focuses on understanding the regulation and remodeling of membrane microdomains of cardiomyocytes during heart failure progression. We study how cardiomyocyte surface microdomains are organized to concentrate ion channels and signaling proteins for proper function and regulation in normal and failing hearts. The research interested includes the mechanisms of scaffolding protein and cytoskeleton-based maintenance of membrane structures and subdomains important in calcium signaling, turnover mechanisms of microdomains, and the mechanisms of heart failure progression. The goal is to identify, at the bench, new molecular and cellular targets that can be translated to develop new therapeutic tools for clinical management of heart failure.
Research Areas
Simultaneously, we published structure-function studies focused on the impact of mechanical unloading on reverse remodeling and myocardial recovery that are bringing our scientific progress in myocardial recovery from bench to bedside. Along these lines the UCAR program was a leader in the bridge-to-recovery multicenter study RESTAGE-HF which is considered widely as a turning point for the myocardial recovery field.
UCAR was supported over the years by extramural funding through the NIH, AHA, Dpt of Veterans Affairs, European Union, Doris Duke Foundation, Nora Eccles Treadwell Foundation, Intermountain Research Medical Foundation and others.
Molecular Mechanisms in Heart Failure, Reverse Remodeling and Myocardial Recovery
Ischemia-reperfusion and cardiogenic shock
Myocardial and Vascular Metabolism
Graft structure-function and coronary allograft vasculopathy
Leadership in Myocardial Recovery
Dr. Drakos co-chaired the NHLBI Working Group on Myocardial Recovery – its members list and executive summary can be found at: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/events/2016/nhlbi-working-group-advancing-science-myocardial-recovery-mechanical-circulatory. The white paper was simultaneously published at flagship journals of associated biomedical societies: J Am Coll Cardiol: Basic Transl Sci, J Card Fail, ASAIO J, J Thor Cardiovasc Surg (PMID28736756).
To facilitate progress in the field of myocardial recovery we have been co-organizing for the last 12 years the annual international Utah Cardiac Recovery Symposium (UCARS – https://medicine.utah.edu/internal-medicine/cardiacrecoverysymposium) which features original clinical, translational and basic science research.
Commitment to Mentorship
Dr Drakos has a strong commitment to mentoring the next generation of scientists and physician-scientists. In 2021, he was presented the inaugural Guy Zimmerman Faculty Mentorship Award, University of Utah School of Medicine and in 2017 he was the sole recipient of the Department of Medicine Faculty Mentorship Award. More than 70 publications were authored by trainees or junior faculty under his mentorship and many of them were supported by competitive career development training grants.
Nine of his mentees have moved on to independent faculty positions with >50% research time. Since 2017, he has been the PI of the NHLBI Cardiovascular T32 grant and previously he had served for several years on the executive committee of this grant. He also served as the Director and PI of an American Heart Association-funded Institutional Undergraduate Student Research Fellowship Program for performing cardiovascular research at the U of Utah.
