Nandurkar Group - Vascular Biology
Research Overview
Goal: To identify pathways linking inflammation and thrombosis and to develop novel therapeutics targeted to specific vascular beds.
Endothelial Biology
Blood fluidity is maintained by endothelial surface proteins, vasodilators secreted by endothelial cells and inhibitors of coagulant cascades. Inflammatory conditions, autoimmune diseases and ischaemic injury alter the vascular bed making it prothrombotic and amplify organ damage in a positive feed-back loop. Our group has identified an essential role for endothelial phosphohydrolase ‘NTPDase, CD39’ in the maintenance of endothelial function in the context of ischaemic, oxidative and immune-mediated activation. We have developed novel endothelial-targeted therapeutics with specificity to activated vascular beds thereby delivering benefit with minimal systemic bleeding compromise. We are exploring the role of purinergic nucleotides (ATP, ADP, adenosine) and complement proteins in the causation of thrombosis and miscarriages in patients with Lupus (SLE), antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA).
Microfluidics
We are developing state-of-art platforms based on microfluidic technology to screen chemical libraries for antithrombotic potential and develop point-of-care devices for the diagnosis and management of haemostatic disorders.
2023 group L-R: Wayne Hauw, Harshal Nandurkar, Ioanna Savvidou, Amy Vuong. Absent: Ilaria Calvello, Maithili Sashindranath, Abbey Willcox
Group Leader
Deputy Group Leader
Projects and Opportunities
- To test a novel endothelial-targeted antithrombotic in murine models of renal ischaemia reperfusion injury, coronary thrombosis and stroke
- To dissect the role of ADP and adenosine signaling in the pathogenesis of thrombosis and miscarriages in SLE and antiphospholipid syndrome
- To study the role of chaperone GRP78 as an endogenous haemostasis inhibitor
- To develop and test microfluidic devices for the diagnosis of von Willebrand disease and coagulopathies
For current project opportunity descriptions please visit our honours page
Selected Publications
- Ho P, Lim HY, Chua CC, Sleeman M, Tacey M, Donnan G, Nandurkar HH. Retrospective review of isolated distal deep vein thrombosis (IDDVT) – A benign entity or not? Thrombosis Research. 2016, 142: 11-16.
- Lim HY, Ng C, Donnan G, Nandurkar HH, Ho P. Ten Years of Cerebral Venous Thrombosis: Male Gender and Myeloproliferative Neoplasm is Associated with Thrombotic Recurrence in Unprovoked Events. J Thrombosis and Thrombolysis. 2016, 42(3): 423-431.
- Tan SY, Smeets MF, Chalk AM, Nandurkar HH, Walkley CR, Purton LE and Wall M. Insights into myelodysplastic syndromes from current preclinical models. World J Hematol. 2016, 5(1): 1-22.
- Brown AFT, Nandurkar HH. Idarucizumab: An anticoagulant reversal agent for dabigatran. Medicine Today 2016,17(11): 63-65
- Calderone A, Stevens W, Prior D, Nandurkar H, Gabbay E, Proudman SM, Williams T, Celermajer D, Sahhar J, Wong PK, Thakkar V, Dwyer N, Wrobel J, Chin W, Liew D, Staples M, Buchbinder R, Nikpour M. Multicentre randomised placebo-controlled trial of oral anticoagulation with apixaban in systemic sclerosis-related pulmonary arterial hypertension: The SPHInX study protocol. BMJ Open 2016, 6(12): Article number e011028.
- Sashindranath M, Dwyer KM, Dezfouli S, Selan C, Crikis S, Lu B, Yuan Y, Hickey M, Peter K, Robson SC, Cowan PJ and Nandurkar HH. Development of a novel strategy to target CD39 antithrombotic activity to the endothelial-platelet microenvironment in kidney ischemia-reperfusion injury. Purinergic Signalling 2017, 13(2): 259-265
- Chua C, Lim HY, Tracey M, Nandurkar HH, Ho P. Retrospective evaluation of Venous Thromboembolism (VTE): are all transient provoking events the same? European Journal of Haematology 2017, 1-9
- Ho P, Ng C, Rigano J, Tacey M, Smith C, Donnan G, Nandurkar HH. Significant age, race and gender differences in global coagulation assays parameters in the normal population. Thrombosis Research 2017, 154:80-83.
- Ziegler M, Hohmann J.D, Searle A.K, Abraham M.K, Nandurkar H.H, Wang X, Peter K. A single-chain antibody-CD39 fusion protein targeting activated platelets protects from cardiac ischaemia/reperfusion injury. European Heart Journal. 2018,39(2):111-116.
- Sashindranath M, Sturgeon SA, French S, Craenmehr DDD, Selan C, Freddi S, Johnson C, Cody SH, Nesbitt WS, Hamilton JR, Nandurkar HH. The mode of anesthesia influences outcome in mouse models of arterial thrombosis.
Res Pract Thromb Haemost. 2019 Feb 15;3(2):197-206. doi: 10.1002/rth2.12184. eCollection 2019 Apr.
PMID: 31011704 Free PMC article. - Samudra AN, Dwyer KM, Selan C, Freddi S, Murray-Segal L, Nikpour M, Hickey MJ, Peter K, Robson SC, Sashindranath M, Cowan PJ, Nandurkar HH. CD39 and CD73 activity are protective in a mouse model of antiphospholipid antibody-induced miscarriages. J Autoimmun. 2018 Mar;88:131-138. doi: 10.1016/j.jaut.2017.10.009. Epub 2017 Nov 3. PMID: 29103803