Khetarpal, Sumeet Anand
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Medicine- Cardiovascular Medicine
Contact Information
Email: FRR6WS@uvahealth.org
Website: https://www.cvrc.virginia.edu/Khetarpal/
Research Disciplines
Cardiovascular Biology, Genetics, Metabolism
Research Interests
Cardiovascular Biology
Research Description
My research program at the University of Virginia (UVA) investigates how the heart communicates with other organs to regulate systemic metabolism, and how these pathways can be targeted to treat cardiovascular and metabolic disease. We focus on two intertwined axes of inter-organ crosstalk: (i) lipoprotein physiology and lipid signaling that shape cardiometabolic risk, and (ii) heart-derived secreted proteins (“cardio-myokines”) that govern adaptation to exercise and drive maladaptive remodeling in disease. Methodologically, the lab integrates mouse genetics and physiology (exercise and heart-failure models), viral vector–mediated gene delivery, primary cell culture, quantitative proteomics and lipidomics, and human genetic/proteomic datasets. At UVA’s Cardiovascular Research Center, my lab will extend this genetics-to-mechanism paradigm across three synergistic thrusts: (1) discover and define heart-derived proteins that control systemic metabolism and cardiac remodeling (leveraging ECF proteomics, gain/loss-of-function, and receptor/ligand mapping); (2) dissect how lipoprotein regulators (e.g., APOC3-centered pathways) influence cardiac and skeletal-muscle bioenergetics and endothelial function in exercise vs. heart failure; and (3) translate these insights using human genetic and proteomic resources to prioritize therapeutic entry points. This integrated program offers trainees rigorous, multi-modal training at the interface of basic metabolism, cardiovascular biology, and human genetics, with a clear path from discovery to translational relevance.