Gef Farmer

Gef Farmer is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology & Anatomy at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC), affiliated with the College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences. His research focuses on the brain renin-angiotensin system, neural plasticity, and mechanisms underlying hypertension and cognitive decline associated with chronic intermittent hypoxia (a model for sleep apnea). He leads and collaborates on NIH-funded projects exploring cardiovascular neuroendocrinology and SGLT2i treatments for heart failure.

Education:

• BA in Psychology, University of Texas at Dallas
• BS in Neuroscience, University of Texas at Dallas
• MS in Applied Cognition and Neuroscience, University of Texas at Dallas
• PhD in Cognition and Neuroscience, University of Texas at Dallas

Research Interests:

• Mechanisms of angiotensin II synthesis/release in response to hypoxia
• Role of median preoptic nucleus in hypertension regulation
• Neuroendocrine pathways linking sleep apnea to cardiovascular disease
• Development of in vitro tools (sniffer cell lines) for angiotensin detection

Grants & Projects:

• "The Impact of Sex and Hippocampus" (NIH, 2024-2029, Co-Investigator)
• "UNTHSC New Investigator - SGLT2i for Heart Failure" (2023-ongoing, PI)
• "Intermittent Hypoxia and Hyper" (NHLBI, 2021-2025, PI/Co-I)

Labs & Teams: His research group investigates angiotensin signaling's role in neuronal excitability and hypertension, using in vitro models and animal studies to dissect pathophysiological mechanisms.