Fall 2025 Grantee Highlight:
Alejandro R. Chade

Alejandro R. Chade, MD, FAHA

Professor, Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, Department of Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia

Cardiovascular kidney metabolic (CKM) syndrome affects an estimated 70–90% of adults worldwide, yet the molecular mechanisms driving its progression remain poorly understood. The Chade Lab is addressing this gap by investigating how cardiac microvascular rarefaction, the loss of the heart’s smallest blood vessels, contributes to heart failure in CKM syndrome. Their goal is to uncover the molecular pathways responsible for this deterioration and reveal new cardioprotective targets.

Building on a strong foundation of prior research, the investigators are pursuing an integrated, multi‑platform strategy aimed at uncovering new ways to protect the heart in CKM syndrome. Their approach includes longitudinal studies in a unique swine model to evaluate a therapeutic strategy designed to preserve the cardiac microcirculation, along with complementary mechanistic work in genetically modified mice and controlled in vitro systems. Together, these studies will help clarify the drivers of microvascular loss and reveal promising avenues for future intervention.

By generating new mechanistic insights and evaluating innovative therapeutic strategies, the Chade Lab aims to lay the groundwork for future treatments that can safeguard the heart in individuals living with CKM syndrome.