

Dr. Amir Ravandi
Principal Investigator
Cardiovascular Lipidomics, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences
Staff Interventional Cardiologist
St. Boniface Hospital
Research Director, Section of Cardiology
St. Boniface Hospital
Associate Professor of Medicine
University of Manitoba
Research Focus
The general focus of Dr. Ravandi’s laboratory is to study lipid oxidation products and their contribution to cardiovascular pathology. The laboratory uses LC/MS/MS Lipidomic platform for quantitation and identification of lipid oxidation products in both animal models and clinical conditions to determine the involvement of oxidized lipids in both cardiac and vascular lesions. The ultimate goal is to not only identify the contribution of bioactive lipids to cardiac muscle injury but also to determine new therapeutic approaches to prevent the pathological effects of oxidized lipids.
About Dr. Amir Ravandi
Dr. Amir Ravandi received his undergraduate degree, from University of Toronto and went on to complete a PhD at the Banting and Best Medical Research Institute at University of Toronto. He was at the Terrence Donnelly Vascular Research Labs at St. Michaels’s Hospital as postdoctoral fellow. After obtaining his MD at University of Toronto he went on to complete his internal medicine and cardiology training at McMaster University. He completed a fellowship in coronary and peripheral vascular interventions at University of California at San Diego.
He is currently on staff at St. Boniface Hospital as an interventional cardiologist. He is also an assistant professor of cardiology and physiology at University of Manitoba. He is a principal investigator at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences. His current focus is utilizing lipidomics to further our understanding of myocardial ischemia and plaque rupture.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Amir Ravandi
Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences
St. Boniface Hospital Research
Rm 4026-351 Tache Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Clinical: (204) 237-2315
Email: aravandi@sbrc.ca
In Detail
Role of Oxidized phospholipids in ischemia reperfusion injury:
Cardiovascular disease remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. One unifying mechanistic component is the role of inflammation in its initiation and progression. For many years lipids were considered to be only cellular building blocks with very little biological activity. Due to their susceptibility to oxidation they are modified in the presence of reactive oxygen species. Apart from impairment of their structural function, oxidation makes oxidized phospholipids (OxPL) acquire novel biological activities not characteristic of their unoxidized precursors. The effects of OxPLs described in vitro and in vivo suggest their potential relevance in different pathologies, including atherosclerosis, acute inflammation, lung injury, and many other conditions. The actions of OxPL can vary depending upon the specific species of phospholipid being oxidized. Recently, oxidized phosphatidylcholines (OxPC) have been recognized as not only products of oxidative damage but also mediators of its progression. These compounds exert their biological activity through multiple pathways. They have been shown to be potent stimulators of platelet activating factor receptor, prostaglandin receptors and PPAR receptors resulting in platelet aggregation, induction of the coagulation cascade and apoptosis and cell death. Recent advancements in softer methods of ionization, such as electrospray mass spectrometry, has allowed us to identify and quantitate OxPL’s in biological tissues. Our group has over the past decade developed mass spectrometric techniques that can identify and quantitate oxidized lipids within atherosclerotic plaques, oxidized Low Density Lipoprotein (OxLDL), and other biological tissues. As we move forward in trying to better understand the role of OxPL in cardiovascular pathology, it necessitates a detailed understanding of the oxidized lipidome within cardiac tissue such as ischemic myocardium or in plasma from patients with acute coronary syndromes. Using this knowledge as a platform, we are investigating the role of OxPL in cardiovascular pathology and will be able to tailor therapies to prevent OxPL induced injury.
- Vaghasiya J, Dalvand A, Sikarmar A, Mangat D, Ragheb M, Hacket TL, Ravandi A, Pacoe CD, Halayko AJ. Oxidized Phosphatidylcholines Trigger TRPA1 and Ryanodine Receptor Dependent Airway Smooth Muscle Contraction. (2023) Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. August 8. doi: 10.1165/rcmb.2022-0457OC.
- Alizadeh J, da Silva SC, Weng X, Lorzadeh S, Ravandi A, Vitorino R, Pecic S, Shojaei S, Ghavami S. Ceramides and Ceramide Synthases in Cancer: Focus on Apoptosis and Autophagy. (2023) European Journal of Cell Biology, Jun 26;102(3):151337. doi: 10.1016/j.ejcb.2023.151337.
- Alizadeh J, Kavoosi M, Singh N, Lorzadeh S, Ravandi A, Kidane B, Ahmed N, Miraiche F,Mowat MR, Ghavami S. Regulation of Autophagy via Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism in Cancer. (2023) Cancers 15(8), 2195.
- Sadeghdoust M, Aligolighasemabadi F, Dehesh T, Taefehshokr N, Sadeghdoust A, Kotfis K, Hashemiattar A, Ravandi A, Aligolighasemabadi N, Vakili O, Grabarek B, Staszkiewicz R, Łos MJ, Mokarram P, Ghavami S. The effects of statins on respiratory symptoms and pulmonary fibrosis in COVID-19 patients with diabetes mellitus: a longitudinal multicenter study. (2023) Archivum Immunologiae et Therapiae Experimentalis 2023 Feb 28;71(1):8.doi: 10.1007/s00005-023-00672-1.
- Surendran A, Ismail U, Atefi N, Bagchi A, Singal P, Shah A, Aliani, M. Ravandi A. Plasma lipidomics in patients with coronary no reflow. (2023) Metabolites 13(1), 79;
- Aukema H, Ravandi A. Factors affecting variability in oxylipins in mammalian tissues. (2022) Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care, 25:000–000.
- Hassan-Tash P, Ismail U, Ravandi A, Jassal DS, Hiebert B, Kass M, Kirkpartrick IC, Shah AH. Correlation of impedance cardiography derived stroke volume with cardiac magnetic resonance. (2022) Current Problems in Cardiology Feb;48(2):101457
- Caligiuri SPB, Pierce GN, Ravandi A, Aukema HM.The plasma oxylipidome links smoking status to peripheral artery disease. (2022) Metabolites 12 (7), 627
- Eekhoudt C, Bortoluzzi T, Varghese S, Cheung DYC, Christie S, Eastman S, Mittal I, Austria JA, Aukema H, Ravandi A, Thliveris J, Singal P, Jassal DS. Comparing flaxseed and perindopril in the prevention of doxorubicin and trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity in C57Bl/6 mice. (2022), Current Oncology ;29(5):2941-2953. doi: 10.3390/curroncol29050241.
- Pierce GN, Resch C, Mourin M, Dibrov P, Dibrov E, Ravandi A. Bacteria and the growing threat of multidrug resistance for invasive cardiac interventions. Rev Cardiovasc Med. 2022 Jan 14;23(1):15. doi: 10.31083/j.rcm2301015. PMID: 35092207.
- Surendran A, Atefi N, Ismail, U, Shah A, Ravandi A. Rapid Lipidomic Shift in Human Plasma During Myocardial Ischemia and Reperfusion. (2022) iScience. Jan 29;25(2):103828. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.103828
- Solati Z, Surendran A, Edel A, Roznik M, Allen D, Ravandi A. Increase in Plasma Oxidized Phosphatidylcholines (OxPCs) in Patients Presenting With ST- Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). Front Med. 2021 Dec 1;8:716944. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2021.716944. PMID: 34926484; PMCID: PMC8671696.
- Surendran A, Atefi N, Zhang H, Aliani M, Ravandi A Defining Acute Coronary Syndrome through Metabolomics. Metabolites 2021 Oct 6;11(10):685. doi: 10.3390/metabo11100685.
- Pascoe CD, Roy N, Turner-Brannen E, Schultz A, Stelmack A, Ravandi A, Halayko AJ, West AR. Oxidized phosphatidylcholines induce multiple functional defects in airway epithelial cells. (2021). American Journal of Physiology, Lung. Oct 1;321(4):L703-L717. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00539.
- Atefi N, Elbarouni, B, Ravandi A, Allen, DW. When rotational atherectomy is not enough. (2021) Clinical Case Reports. Article Number: e04131 DOI: 10.1002/ccr3.4131
- Stirton H, Meek BP, Edel AL, Solati Z, Surendran A, Aukema H, Modirrousta M, Ravandi A. Oxolipidomics profile in major depressive disorder: Comparing remitters and non-remitters to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment. PLoS One. (2021) Feb 11;16(2):e0246592. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246592. PMID: 33571313; PMCID: PMC7877633.\
- Stamenkovic A, O’Hara KA, Nelson DC, Maddaford TG, Edel AL, Maddaford G, Dibrov E, Aghanoori M, Kirshenbaum LA, Fernyhough P, Aliani M, Pierce GN, Ravandi A. Oxidized phosphatidylcholines trigger ferroptosis in cardiomyocytes during ischemia/reperfusion injury. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2021 Jan 29. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00237.2020. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33513080.
- Peymani P, Dehesh T, Aligolighasemabadi F, Sadeghdoust M, Kotfis K, Ahmadi M, Mehrbod P, Iranpour P, Dastghaib S, Nasimian A, Ravandi A, Kidane B, Ahmed N, Sharma P, Shojaei S, Bagheri Lankarani K, Madej A, Rezaei N, Madrakian T, Los MJ, Labouta HI, Mokarram P, Ghavami S. Statins in patients with COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study in Iranian COVID-19 patients. Transl Med Commun. 2021;6(1):3. doi: 10.1186/s41231-021-00082-5. Epub 2021 Jan 25. PMID: 33521322;
- Surendran A, Edel A, Chandran M, Bogaert P, Hassan-Tash P, Kumar A, Solati Z, Sandhawalia S, Raabe M, Kass M, Shah AH, Jassal DS, Jaleel A, Ravandi A. Metabolomic signature of human aortic valve stenosis (2020) JACC Basic to Translational Science 16;5(12):1163-1177. doi: 10.1016/j.jacbts.2020.10.001. eCollection.
- Sin SP, Jassal DS, Luqman Z, Kirkpatrick ID, Ravandi A, Kass M. Tear in my Heart: a multimodality perspective. CJC Open 2020 DOI:https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.cjco 2020.09.02.
- Pascoe CD, Jha A, Ryu MH, Ragheb M, Basu S, Stelmack G, Kindrachuk J, Gauvreau GM, O’Byrne PM, Ravandi A, Carlsten C, Halayko AJ. Allergen inhalation generates pro-inflammatory oxidized phosphatidylcholine associated with airway dysfunction. (2020) Europe Respiratory Journal (In press) (IF 12.9)
- Asselin C, Lam A, Cheung DYC, Eekhoudt CR, Zhu A, Mittal I, Mayba A, Solati Z, Edel A, Austria JA, Aukema H, Ravandi A, Thliveris J, Singal PK; Pierce G, Niraula S, Jassal DS. The cardioprotective role of flaxseed in the prevention of doxorubicin and trastuzumab mediated cardiotoxicity in C57Bl/6 mice. (2020) The Journal Nutrition Jun 8:nxaa144. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxaa144.
- Kass M, Love MP, Ravandi A. Zero Contrast Shockwave Angioplasty Facilitated by Intravascular Ultrasound. (2020) Cardiovasc Revasc Med. Apr;36(4):554-563. doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2019.09.021.
- Shah A, Shaikh N, Ravandi A, Kass M. Role of invasive hemodynamic assessment during trans-catheter paravalvular leak interventions. (2020) Circulation Journal. 25;84(3):531. doi: 10.1253/circj.CJ-19-0895.
- Bagchi AK, Surendran A, Malik A, Jassal DS, Ravandi A, Singal PK. IL-10 Attenuates OxPCs-Mediated Lipid Metabolic Responses in Ischemia Reperfusion Injury. (2020) Scientific Reports. Jul 21;10(1):12120. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-68995-z.
- Rohani L, Machiraju P, Sabouny R, Meng G, Liu S, Zhao T, Iqbal F, Ravandi A, Wu JC, Khan A, Shutt T, Rancourt D, Greenway SC, Reversible Mitochondrial Fragmentation in iPSC-Derived Cardiomyocytes from Children with DCMA, a Mitochondrial Cardiomyopathy. (2020) Canadian Journal of Cardiology Apr;36(4):554-563. doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2019.09.021. Epub 2019 Oct 9.)
- Rohani L, Machiraju P, Sabouny R, Meng G, Liu S, Zhao T, Iqbal F, Ravandi A, Wu JC, Khan A, Shutt T, Rancourt D, Greenway SC, SS-31 Peptide Reverses the Mitochondrial Fragmentation Present in Fibroblasts from Patients with DCMA, a Mitochondrial Cardiomyopathy. (2019) Frontiers Cardiovascular Medicine 15 November https://doi.org/10.3389 /fcvm.2019.00167
- Mackay D, Mollard RC, Granger M, Bruce S, Blewett H, Carlberg J, Duhamel T, Eck P, Faucher P, Hamm NC, Khafipour E, Lix L, McMillan D, Myrie S, Ravandi A, Tangri N, Azad M, Jones PJ. The Manitoba Personalized Lifestyle Research (TMPLR) study protocol: a multicentre bidirectional observational cohort study with administrative health record linkage investigating the interactions between lifestyle and health in Manitoba, Canada. BMJ Open. 2019 Oct 10;9(10):e023318. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023318. PubMed PMID: 31604781;
- Surendran A, Aliani M, Ravandi A Metabolomic characterization of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. (2019) Scientific Reports. Aug 13;9(1):11742. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-48227-9
- Surendran A, Zhang H, Edel A, Aukema H, Ravandi A. Changes in Oxylipin profile of Human LDL during oxidation. (2019) Atherosclerosis Jul 18;288:101-111. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2019.07.018.
- Stamenkovic A, Pierce GN, Ravandi A. Phospholipid oxidation products in Ferroptotic Myocardial Cell Death. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2019 May 3. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00076.2019. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 31050558
- Stamenkovic A, Ganguly R, Aliani M, Ravandi A Pierce GN. Overcoming the Bitter Taste of Oils Enriched in Fatty Acids to Obtain Their Effects on the Heart in Health and Disease, (2019) Nutrients 2019 May 27;11(5):1179. doi: 10.3390/nu11051179.
- Liu S, Parr C, Zhang H, Elbarouni B, Shah A, Kass M, Ravandi A. Patient outcomes in Guideliner facilitated percutaneous coronary intervention stratified by the SYNTAX score: a retrospective analysis. JRSM Cardiovascular Disease. 2019. ar 20;8:2048004019835449. doi: 10.1177/2048004019835449. eCollection 2019 Jan-Dec.
- Solati Z, Ravandi A, Lipidomics of Bioactive lipids in Acute Coronary Syndromes. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2019. Feb 28;20(5). pii: E1051. doi: 10.3390/ijms20051051
- MacKay DS, Mollard RC, Granger M, Bruce S, Blewett H, Carlberg J, Duhamel TA, Eck PK, Faucher P, Hamm N, Khafipour E, Lix LM, McMillan DE, Myrie SB, Ravandi A, Tangri N, Azad MB, Jones PJ. The Manitoba Personalized Lifestyle Research (TMPLR) study protocol: a multi-centre bi-directional observational cohort study with administrative health record linkage investigating the interactions between lifestyle and health in Manitoba, Canada. (2019) BMJ Open 2019 Oct 10;9(10):e023318. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023318.
- Shah A, Ravandi A, Kass M. Platypnea – orthodeoxia syndrome: Reminder of the in-utero vena cava flow pattern. JACC Interventions (2019) Dec 21. pii: S1936-8798(18)32206-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jcin.2018.10.040. [Epub ahead of print]
- Dufresne J, Bowden P, Thavarajah T, Florentinus-Mefailoski A, Chen Z, Tucholska M, Norzin T Ho1, Morla Phan M, Mohamed N, Ravandi A, Stanton E, Slutsky AS, dos Santos CC, Romaschin A, Marshall JC Addison C, Malone S, Heyland D, Scheltens P, Killestein J, Teunissen C, Diamandis EP, Siu KW, Marshall JG. The Plasma Peptides of Ovarian Cancer. Clinical Proteomics, (2019). Dec 21;15:41. doi: 10.1186/s12014-018-9215-z. (IF 3.6)
2011
Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions. C3 Summit Finalist, Baltimore,MD, USA
2009
Gold Medal. Best Research Presentation McMaster University Internal Medicine Research Day.
2008
Chief Cardiology Fellow. McMaster University.
2006
Outstanding Chief Medical Resident. Department of Medicine. McMaster University
2005
Outstanding PGY2. Department of Medicine. McMaster University
2001
Pharmaceutical Manufacturers of Canada Research Fellowship
2000
Pharmaceutical Manufacturers of Canada Research Fellowship
1999
Stuart Allan Hoffman Award, Best Ph.D. thesis. Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto
Best presentation, AOCS Annual meeting among 1500 presentations, Orlando
1998
Young Investigator Award, Canadian Society for Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology
Ontario Graduate Scholarship
1998
Dutkevich Foundation Award.
University of Toronto Doctoral Open Fellowship