Aparna Sundaram

Dr. Aparna Sundaram is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), School of Medicine. She is a biomedical engineer, physician, and scientist specializing in airway smooth muscle biology and force transmission pathways in chronic airway diseases. Her research focuses on identifying novel drug targets to mitigate airway narrowing, leveraging ex vivo models, transgenic mice, and advanced microscopy.

Education:

• B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University (2003)
• M.D., Northwestern University (2006)
• Residency in Internal Medicine, Northwestern University (2009)
• Fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care, UCSF (2012)

Research Interests:

• Force transmission pathways in airway smooth muscle
• Cytokine regulation of integrin activation
• Development of integrin inhibitors for asthma treatment
• Impact of inflammatory cytokines on airway hyperresponsiveness

Awards:

• 2019 UCSF Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion

Grants & Funding:

• NIH/NHLBI R01HL173342 (2024–2029): Mechanisms of cytokine-mediated integrin activation
• American Lung Association IA933672 (2022–2024): Role of cadherin-11 in asthma
• NIH R61/R33HL163725 (2022–2025): Integrin α2β1 inhibitors

Labs/Teams: Sundaram Lab, collaborating with UCSF researchers like Dean Sheppard and Hyunil Jo on integrin biology and asthma pathophysiology.