Biography: Dr. Pacher serves as the Head of the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Physiology and Tissue Injury (LCPTI) at NIAAA/National Institutes of Health USA. LCPTI seeks to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the complex interplay of oxidative/nitrative stress, inflammation, lipid signaling (for example endocannabinoid signaling) and cell death pathways (e.g. poly(ADP)-ribose polymerase; PARP) in tissue injury, and to identify new therapeutic targets using clinically relevant animal models of disease (e.g., ischemia reperfusion injury, cardiomyopathies/heart failure, cardiovascular aging, and alcohol induced cardiovascular, liver and kidney injury and neuroinflammation). Dr. Pacher's lab identified an opposing regulatory role of peripheral cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors in inflammatory processes, oxidative stress and tissue injury associated with ischemia reperfusion, cardiovascular inflammation, cardiomyopathies, nephropathy and diabetic complications. The Pacher lab also contributed to the understanding of the role of endocannabinoids and their metabolic pathways during tissue injury, and demonstration of the therapeutic and translational potential of certain Cannabis sativa(marijuana)-derived non-psychoactive phytocannabinoids or their synthetic, more stable analogs, which previously were thought to be inactive. Dr. Pacher's prior and recent work have also identified several novel therapeutic targets/leads related to oxidative stress/cell death pathways reaching clinical development (e.g. PARP inhibitors), and more recently he has been involved in the development of several novel CB2 receptor agonists to treat inflammatory disorders. As a recognition of his work in the field of cannabinoids he was elected President of International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS). Dr. Pacher has also been involved in the development of tools for hemodynamic measurements (e.g. the Millar pressure-volume system in mice and rats and various novel P-V catheters), widely used in most cardiovascular laboratories around the globe. His research has been highly influential (h index 118, over 52,000 citations, over 350 peer-reviewed publications). He listed among top 50-100 most cited researchers in the World in Pharmacology and Toxicology fields since 2010, and among the top 1% cited in Clinical Medicine, Biology and Biochemistry fields. He has also been listed in Highly Cited 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 in Pharmacology & Toxicology or multiple fields (based on number of highly cited papers and total citations). For the development of novel mouse models of hepatic and alcoholic cardiomyopathies and hepatorenal syndrome, and related work he received Intramural Scientific Achievement Award at NIAAA in 2021.
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