# Race, Natriuretic Peptides and Physiological Perturbations

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2023 · $193,752

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The applicant, Pankaj Arora, MD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular
Disease at University of Alabama at Birmingham. The applicant’s goal is to become an independent
investigator in clinical and translational research and advance the understanding of how disorders in the
natriuretic peptide (NP) system contribute to the development of hypertension, heart failure and cardiovascular
disease. The applicant has shown a prior interest in understanding the genetics, NP system biology and an
ability to conduct high-quality patient-oriented research. This Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career
Development Award (K23) describes a five-year plan that will allow the applicant to achieve independence as
an investigator, under the primary mentorship of Thomas J. Wang MD, an internationally-recognized leader in
the field of NP physiology. The applicant wishes to obtain knowledge and expertise in 4 specific domains: (1)
patient-oriented physiologic studies, (2) the pathophysiologic basis of race-related differences in cardiovascular
disease susceptibility, (3) exercise physiology, and (4) patient-oriented pharmacologic studies.
African-Americans have increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease which contributes to racial disparities
in outcomes such as death and hospitalization. NPs are natriuretic and vasodilatory hormones produced by
the heart in response to increased wall stress in the atria and ventricles. In preliminary work for this proposal,
we found that African-American race is associated with NP deficiency. Little is known about the physiological
consequences of the lower resting NP levels found in African-Americans. The current proposal will seek to
determine if there exists racial differences in how the heart responds to physiological perturbations such as
exercise and beta blockers. The specific aims are (1) To compare the NP response to beta blockers in African-
American and white individuals (2) To compare the NP response to exercise in African-American and white
individuals. Understanding these differences in release of NPs may have biological and therapeutic
importance in the treatment of hypertension and heart failure.
The Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development award (K23) will provide Dr. Arora with the
necessary time to fully engage in multifaceted, carefully designed patient-oriented research protocols while
serving as a means to receive additional formal didactics. During the course of the award period, the applicant
will pursue a Master of Science in Public Health in Clinical & Translational Science at UAB’s School of Public
Health to advance his skills in patient-oriented research (epidemiology, biostatistics, study design, grant-
writing, and leadership courses). UAB’s rich collaborative, interdisciplinary environment with national
recognition for community engagement will provide Dr. Arora with a platform to successfully conduct the
research proposed in th...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10591601
- **Project number:** 5K23HL146887-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Pankaj Arora
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $193,752
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10591601

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10591601, Race, Natriuretic Peptides and Physiological Perturbations (5K23HL146887-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10591601. Licensed CC0.

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