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Physiology
Pablo Nakagawa, PhD

Pablo Nakagawa, PhD

Assistant Professor

Contact Information

Biography

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death, and one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease is hypertension. Every day, at least 1,000 Americans die due to hypertension, and although several anti-hypertensive treatments are available, about half of hypertensive patients do not have their blood pressure under control. Therefore, after receiving his PhD from the University of Buenos Aires, Dr. Nakagawa has committed his career to understanding the pathogenesis of hypertension and mechanisms that contribute to blood pressure elevation and autonomic dysfunction. During his PhD training, Dr. Nakagawa was mentored by Dr. Oscar A. Carretero, and his work was centered on understanding the cardioprotective effects of a naturally occurring tetrapeptide, Acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline (Ac-SDKP), in hypertension and cardiac inflammation. Dr. Nakagawa was then trained as a postdoc at the University of Iowa under Dr. Curt Sigmund mentorship, where his studies were focused on the understanding of central mechanisms of blood pressure regulation. Specifically, his work contributed to elucidating the role of the alternative renin isoform (Renin-b) and the role of the prorenin receptor in blood pressure regulation and autonomic function. In 2019, Dr. Nakagawa received the NIH K01 Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award, which was instrumental in his promotion to Faculty and led to the start of his independent research program.

Professional Affiliations:
American Heart Association
American Physiological Society
International Society of Hypertension

Mentoring and Training:
I believe in 1) Respect, 2) Integrity, 3) Teamwork, 4) Diversity, and 5) Professionalism. My main goal is to support each other to create an optimal and healthy environment for individual, scientific, and professional development. My philosophy is that science is not a final goal but an opportunity for personal development. My personal vision is that through science, we can create lifelong relationships. Learning from others and helping others to improve is a path to becoming our best version.

Honors and Awards

2012 Henry Ford Hospital - Research Symposia, First Place Award, best research presentation in physiology and pathophysiology
2012 American Heart Association - Council of High Blood Pressure, Poster Award
2018 Gordon Conference Travel Award
2019 皇家华人 - Research Day poster competition, Outstanding Presentation Award
2019 皇家华人 - Postdoc Advisory Committee, Travel Award
2019 NIH 鈥� K01 Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Grant
2020 American Heart Association - Hypertension Scientific Sessions, AFHRE Travel Grants for Support of Underrepresented Minorities
2022 American Physiological Society 鈥� Neural Control and Autonomic Regulation, New Investigator Award
2022 Advancing Healthy Wisconsin Grant
2023 American Heart Association 鈥� Council on Hypertension Stephanie Watts Career Development Award 鈥� Finalist
2023 American Heart Association 鈥� Career Development Award
2024 皇家华人 鈥� Cardiovascular Center Michael Keelan Award
2024 皇家华人 鈥� Office of Global Health grant

Research Interests

Currently, Dr. Nakagawa’s scientific questions are centered on understanding molecular and neurogenic mechanisms implicated in the development of hypertension. His research is focused on the identification of novel renin-producing neurons in the brainstem. This discovery might solve a 50-year scientific problem and contribute to elucidating how the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) operates within key nuclei within the brainstem. The ultimate goal is to address how overactivation of the brain RAS results in autonomic imbalance and hypertension and identify strategies to regulate the brain RAS. To study hypotheses, the lab utilizes 1) genetically engineered models to manipulate the expression of genes in the brain, 2) induce expression of fluorescent reporter genes or genetically encoded biosensors to label & trace distinct proteins and cells in the brain, 3) methods to study the activity of neuronal circuits, and 4) methods to activate and suppress these circuits such as optogenetics and chemogenetic approaches. State-of-the-art techniques are used to assess cardiovascular & autonomic function.

Publications

  • (Mathieu NM, Tan EE, Reho JJ, Brozoski DT, Muskus PC, Lu KT, Wackman KK, Grobe JL, Nakagawa P, Sigmund CD.) Hypertension. 2024 Jun;81(6):1332-1344 PMID: 38629290 PMCID: PMC11096025 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85193429264 04/17/2024

  • (Reho JJ, Muskus PC, Bennett DM, Grobe CC, Burnett CML, Nakagawa P, Segar JL, Sigmund CD, Grobe JL.) Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2024 Mar 01;326(3):R242-R253 PMID: 38284128 PMCID: PMC11213288 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85186271298 01/29/2024

  • (Mathieu NM, Nakagawa P, Grobe JL, Sigmund CD.) Hypertension. 2024 Jan;81(1):6-16 PMID: 37449411 PMCID: PMC10787814 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85180800778 07/14/2023

  • (Ziegler AA, Lawton SBR, Grobe CC, Reho JJ, Freudinger BP, Burnett CML, Nakagawa P, Grobe JL, Segar JL.) Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2023 Nov 01;325(5):R576-R592 PMID: 37720996 PMCID: PMC10866575 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85174752582 09/18/2023

  • (Grobe CC, Reho JJ, Brown-Williams D, Ziegler AA, Mathieu NM, Lawton SBR, Fekete EM, Brozoski DT, Wackman KK, Burnett CML, Nakagawa P, Sigmund CD, Segar JL, Grobe JL.) Hypertension. 2023 Sep;80(9):1871-1880 PMID: 37470185 PMCID: PMC10528934 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85168254483 07/20/2023

  • (Balapattabi K, Yavuz Y, Jiang J, Deng G, Mathieu NM, Ritter ML, Opichka MA, Reho JJ, McCorvy JD, Nakagawa P, Morselli LL, Mouradian GC Jr, Atasoy D, Cui H, Hodges MR, Sigmund CD, Grobe JL.) Cell Rep. 2023 Aug 29;42(8):112935 PMID: 37540598 PMCID: PMC10530419 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85169503465 08/04/2023

  • (Mathieu NM, Fekete EM, Muskus PC, Brozoski DT, Lu KT, Wackman KK, Gomez J, Fang S, Reho JJ, Grobe CC, Vazirabad I, Mouradian GC Jr, Hodges MR, Segar JL, Grobe JL, Sigmund CD, Nakagawa P.) Function (Oxf). 2023;4(5):zqad043 PMID: 37609445 PMCID: PMC10440998 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85168790693 08/23/2023

  • (Wagner VA, Deng G, Claflin KE, Ritter ML, Cui H, Nakagawa P, Sigmund CD, Morselli LL, Grobe JL, Kwitek AE.) Front Cell Neurosci. 2023;17:1207350 PMID: 37293629 PMCID: PMC10244568 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85161193387 06/09/2023

  • (Ritter ML, Deng G, Reho JJ, Deng Y, Sapouckey SA, Opichka MA, Balapattabi K, Wackman KK, Brozoski DT, Lu KT, Paradee WJ, Gibson-Corley KN, Cui H, Nakagawa P, Morselli LL, Sigmund CD, Grobe JL.) Hypertension. 2022 Dec;79(12):2843-2853 PMID: 36259376 PMCID: PMC9649888 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85141891708 10/20/2022

  • (Mathieu NM, Nakagawa P, Grobe CC, Reho JJ, Brozoski DT, Lu KT, Wackman KK, Ritter ML, Segar JL, Grobe JL, Sigmund CD.) Hypertension. 2022 Nov;79(11):2480-2492 PMID: 36215165 PMCID: PMC9669141 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85140375825 10/11/2022

  • (Oliveira V, Reho JJ, Balapattabi K, Ritter ML, Mathieu NM, Opichka MA, Lu KT, Grobe CC, Silva SD Jr, Wackman KK, Nakagawa P, Segar JL, Sigmund CD, Grobe JL.) Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2022 Oct 01;323(4):R410-R421 PMID: 35816717 PMCID: PMC9512112 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85138457982 07/12/2022

  • (Mouradian GC Jr, Liu P, Nakagawa P, Duffy E, Gomez Vargas J, Balapattabi K, Grobe JL, Sigmund CD, Hodges MR.) Front Synaptic Neurosci. 2022;14:910820 PMID: 35844900 PMCID: PMC9280690 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85134237459 07/19/2022

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