In Detail

Calcific Aortic Valve Stenosis

A major focus of the laboratory is defining the lipid and metabolic pathways associated with the development and progression of calcific aortic valve stenosis.

Using human aortic valve tissue and plasma samples, the laboratory integrates lipidomic and metabolomic profiling with echocardiographic, hemodynamic, and clinical measurements of disease severity. This work has identified extensive metabolic remodeling in calcific aortic valve stenosis, including alterations in oxidized phospholipids, prostaglandins, bile acids, and multiple other lipid classes.

Current studies are examining how these molecular changes relate to valve calcification, inflammation, hemodynamic severity, and clinical progression. The objective is to identify biologically distinct phenotypes of aortic stenosis and determine whether specific lipid pathways represent biomarkers of disease progression or potential therapeutic targets.

Cardiogenic Shock

The laboratory is investigating the profound changes in lipid metabolism that occur during cardiogenic shock.

Cardiogenic shock produces an extreme state of cardiovascular and systemic metabolic stress. Using serial plasma samples from patients with cardiogenic shock, the laboratory is characterizing changes in the circulating lipidome and determining how these changes relate to shock severity, invasive hemodynamics, end-organ dysfunction, myocardial recovery, and survival.

Particular emphasis is placed on phospholipid remodeling, lysophospholipids, fatty-acid metabolism, oxidized lipids, and other bioactive lipid pathways.

The objective is to determine whether lipidomic profiling can identify distinct biological phenotypes of cardiogenic shock, provide insight into mechanisms underlying circulatory and metabolic failure, and identify lipid biomarkers associated with recovery and clinical outcomes.

Acute Myocardial Infarction and Reperfusion

The laboratory has an established translational program examining dynamic changes in the plasma lipidome during acute myocardial infarction.

Patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention provide a unique human model in which plasma can be sampled immediately before and after restoration of coronary blood flow. This enables the direct study of the metabolic consequences of acute myocardial ischemia and reperfusion in humans.

The laboratory has demonstrated rapid remodeling of the circulating lipidome following myocardial reperfusion and has identified lipid signatures associated with coronary no-reflow and reperfusion injury.

Current studies are examining whether these lipidomic signatures can identify biologically distinct responses to myocardial ischemia and reperfusion, predict adverse clinical outcomes, and reveal pathways that contribute to myocardial injury.

Translational Cardiovascular Lipidomics

A central strength of the research program is the integration of cardiovascular medicine with analytical mass spectrometry.

The Cardiovascular Lipidomics Laboratory has developed high-throughput LC-MS/MS approaches for the identification and quantification of a broad range of lipid species in human plasma and cardiovascular tissues. These include phospholipids, oxidized phospholipids, sphingolipids, lysophospholipids, acylcarnitines, oxylipins, and other bioactive lipid mediators.

The laboratory integrates these molecular measurements with coronary angiography, invasive hemodynamics, cardiovascular imaging, clinical characteristics, and patient outcomes.

The overarching objective is to move cardiovascular lipidomics beyond biomarker discovery toward the identification of molecular mechanisms and clinically relevant disease phenotypes that can ultimately inform risk stratification and therapeutic development.

Publications

2026

1. Shah AH, Armstrong HK, Mittal I, Reimer A, Kunutsor SK, Ducas RA, Alizadeh K, Tam JW, Ravandi A, Dhingra S. IMpact of therapY using coleSevelam treatment reducing bile acids in patients with fonTan cIrCulation (MYSTIC): Rationale and study design. Am Heart J. 2026;291:81–88. PMID: 40840821. (PubMed)
2. Surendran A, Neale QK, Zahedi RP, Ravandi A. Bridging genotype, phenotype, and clinical insight: the role of multi-omics in cardiovascular disease. Expert Rev Proteomics. 2026;23(3):99–108. PMID: 41819819. (PubMed)
3. Caligiuri SPB, Ravandi A, Aukema HM, Shah AH. Omega-6/omega-3 oxylipin imbalance and altered 15-LOX and sEH pathways in Fontan physiology. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2026;330(5). PMID: 41886286. (PubMed)
4. Laukkanen JA, Kurl S, Ravandi A, Kauhanen J, Kunutsor SK. Serum non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and the risk of sudden cardiac death: findings from a prospective cohort study. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2026;36(8):104706. PMID: 42000253. (PubMed)
5. Shah AH, Liu Y, Armstrong HK, Han J, Goodlett DR, Ravandi A, Dhingra S. Association of Fontan Circulation With Gut Microbiome Derived Straight and Branched Short Chain Fatty Acids. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2026;41(6):1825–1836. PMID: 42067956. (PubMed)
6. Surendran A, Stamenkovic A, Jassal DS, Shah A, Ravandi A. Lipidomic remodeling is associated with hemodynamic severity in calcific aortic valve stenosis. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2026;330(6):H2036–H2055. PMID: 42126129. (PubMed)
7. Bagchi AK, Liu Y, Dhingra S, Ravandi A, Singal PK, Shah AH. Association of stromal cell-derived factor 1α and interferon-γ-induced protein 10 with Fontan pathophysiology. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2026;104:1–10. PMID: 42250285. (PubMed)
8. Zhang AA, Ryu MH, Jha A, Pascoe C, Ravandi A, Halayko AJ, Carlsten C. Alteration of oxidized phospholipids profile in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid collected from atopic individuals co-exposed to air pollution and allergen. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2026;74(4):563–566. PMID: 41072022. (PubMed)
9. Shah AH, Ravandi A. Selective Activation of the Tryptophan-Kynurenine Pathway in Fontan Circulation. Pediatr Cardiol. 2026. PMID: 42406063. (PubMed)
10. Shah AH, Ravandi A. Beyond Passive Congestion: The Inflammatory Gut-Liver Axis in Fontan Circulation. Pediatr Cardiol. 2026. PMID: 42573766. (PubMed)

2025

1. Bews HJ, Hiebert B, Liu S, Ducas J, Ravandi A, Minhas K, Kass M, Love MP, Wijeysundera HC, Shah AH. Outcomes among patients with coronary artery bypass grafts presenting with acute coronary syndrome: impact of revascularization. Ther Adv Cardiovasc Dis. 2025. PMID: 39745205. (PubMed)
2. Kunutsor SK, Jassal DS, Ravandi A, Lehoczki A. Dietary flaxseed: Cardiometabolic benefits and its role in promoting healthy aging. GeroScience. 2025;47(3):2895–2923. PMID: 39821819. (PubMed)
3. Shah AH, Surendran A, Hassan-Tash P, Turnbull CN, Johnston N, Goodlett D, Han J, Ducas RA, Tam JW, Renner E, Duhamel TA, Aliani M, Ravandi A, Krasuski RA. Association of Fontan Pathophysiology With Plasma Bile Acids. JACC Adv. 2025;4(2):101563. PMID: 39827765. (PubMed)
4. Zhang H, Singal PK, Ravandi A, Rabinovich-Nikitin I. Sex-Specific Differences in the Pathophysiology of Hypertension. Biomolecules. 2025;15(1):143. PMID: 39858537. (PubMed)
5. Su S, Ravandi A, Kass M. The Future Is Here: Virtual and Augmented Reality for Simulation-Based Learning in Cardiology. Can J Cardiol. 2025;41(2):326–328. PMID: 39647637. (PubMed)
6. Saboktakin Rizi S, Stamenkovic A, Ravandi A. Integrative Omics Approaches in Cardiovascular Disease Research: Current Trends and Future Directions. Can J Cardiol. 2025;41(8):1642–1645. PMID: 39952467. (PubMed)
7. Surendran A, Zhang H, Stamenkovic A, Ravandi A. Lipidomics and cardiovascular disease. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis. 2025;1871(5):167806. PMID: 40122185. (PubMed)
8. Zhang H, Atefi N, Surendran A, Han J, Goodlett DR, Jassal DS, Shah A, Ravandi A. Conjugated bile acids are elevated in severe calcific aortic valve stenosis. J Lipid Res. 2025. PMID: 40409472. (PubMed)
9. Resch C, Stamenkovic A, Surendran A, Zhang A, Oudit GY, Shah A, Ravandi A. Valvular oxidized phospholipids correlate with severity of human aortic valvular stenosis. Free Radic Biol Med. 2025;239:219–229. PMID: 40749897. (PubMed)
10. Surendran A, Ravandi A, Shah AH. Plasma Lipidomic Alterations in Fontan Circulation Reflect Cardiovascular Functional Reserve. Metabolites. 2025;15(9):592. PMID: 41002976. (PubMed)
11. Shah AH, Ravandi A, Dhingra S, Aliani M, Sivakumar K, Krasuski RA, Ramakrishnan S. Interplay between Elevated Bile Acids and Reduced Vitamin D Levels in Fontan Circulation: A Double-Edged Sword. Curr Cardiol Rep. 2025;27(1):149. PMID: 41128958. (PubMed)

2024

1. Solati Z, Surendran A, Aukema HM, Ravandi A. Impact of Reperfusion on Plasma Oxylipins in ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction. Metabolites. 2024;14(1):19. PMID: 38248822. PubMed shows electronic publication on December 27, 2023, but the journal volume is 2024. (PubMed)
2. Cayer LGJ, Surendran A, Karakach T, Aukema HM, Ravandi A. Valvular Prostaglandins Are Elevated in Severe Human Aortic Valve Stenosis. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2024;44(4):e131–e144. PMID: 38357817. (PubMed)
3. Zhang H, Shah A, Ravandi A. Cardiogenic shock—sex-specific risk factors and outcome differences. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2024;102(9):530–537. PMID: 38663027. (PubMed)
4. Telles-Langdon SM, Arya V, Haasbeek PR, et al., Ravandi A, Singal PK, Jassal DS. Efficacy of Flaxseed Compared to ACE Inhibition in Treating Anthracycline- and Trastuzumab-Induced Cardiotoxicity. CJC Open. 2024;6(7):925–937. PMID: 39026621. (PubMed)
5. Vaghasiya J, Jha A, Basu S, Bagan A, Jengsuksavat SK, Ravandi A, Pascoe CD, Halayko AJ. Neutralizing Oxidized Phosphatidylcholine Reduces Airway Inflammation and Hyperreactivity in a Murine Model of Allergic Asthma. Biology (Basel). 2024;13(8):627. PMID: 39194564. (PubMed)
6. Hofer Labossiere E, Gonzalez-Diaz S, Enns S, et al., Ravandi A, Ball TB, Su RC. Detectability of cytokine and chemokine using ELISA, following sample-inactivation using Triton X-100 or heat. Sci Rep. 2024;14:26777. PMID: 39500912. (PubMed)

2023

1. Surendran A, Ismail U, Atefi N, Bagchi AK, Singal PK, Shah A, Aliani M, Ravandi A. Lipidomic Predictors of Coronary No-Reflow. Metabolites. 2023;13(1):79. PMID: 36677004. (PubMed)
2. Hassan-Tash P, Ismail U, Kirkpatrick IDC, Ravandi A, Jassal DS, Hiebert B, Kass M, Krasuski RA, Shah AH. Correlation of Impedance Cardiography-Derived and Cardiac Magnetic Resonance-Derived Stroke Volumes. Curr Probl Cardiol. 2023;48(2):101457. PMID: 36273652. (PubMed)
3. Sadeghdoust M, Aligolighasemabadi F, Dehesh T, et al., Ravandi A, et al. The Effects of Statins on Respiratory Symptoms and Pulmonary Fibrosis in COVID-19 Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: A Longitudinal Multicenter Study. Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz). 2023;71(1):8. PMID: 36853269. (PubMed)
4. Aukema HM, Ravandi A. Factors affecting variability in free oxylipins in mammalian tissues. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2023;26(2):91–98. PMID: 36892958. (PubMed)
5. Alizadeh J, Kavoosi M, Singh N, Lorzadeh S, Ravandi A, Kidane B, Ahmed N, Mraiche F, Mowat MRA, Ghavami S. Regulation of Autophagy via Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism in Cancer. Cancers (Basel). 2023;15(8):2195. PMID: 37190124. (PubMed)
6. Alizadeh J, da Silva Rosa SC, Weng X, Jacobs J, Lorzadeh S, Ravandi A, et al. Ceramides and ceramide synthases in cancer: Focus on apoptosis and autophagy. Eur J Cell Biol. 2023;102(3):151337. PMID: 37392580. (PubMed)
7. Vaghasiya J, Dalvand A, Sikarwar A, et al., Ravandi A, Pascoe CD, Halayko AJ. Oxidized Phosphatidylcholines Trigger TRPA1 and Ryanodine Receptor-dependent Airway Smooth Muscle Contraction. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2023;69(6):649–665. PMID: 37552547. (PubMed)

2022

1. 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;23(1):15. PMID: 35092207. (PubMed)
2. Surendran A, Atefi N, Ismail U, Shah A, Ravandi A. Impact of myocardial reperfusion on human plasma lipidome. iScience. 2022;25(2):103828. PMID: 35198888. (PubMed)
3. Eekhoudt CR, Bortoluzzi T, Varghese SS, et al., Ravandi A, Thliveris J, Singal PK, Jassal DS. Comparing Flaxseed and Perindopril in the Prevention of Doxorubicin and Trastuzumab-Induced Cardiotoxicity in C57Bl/6 Mice. Curr Oncol. 2022;29(5):2941–2953. PMID: 35621631. (PubMed)
4. Caligiuri SPB, Pierce GN, Ravandi A, Aukema HM. The Plasma Oxylipidome Links Smoking Status to Peripheral Artery Disease. Metabolites. 2022;12(7):627. PMID: 35888750. (PubMed)
5. Atefi N, Lodewyks C, Luqman Z, Ravandi A. Postpartum Endocarditis and Left Main Embolization. CJC Open. 2022;4(12):1096–1099. PMID: 36562016. (PubMed)

2025
Ronald Duhamel Innovation Fund Awardee, St. Boniface Hospital

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

Funding

We gratefully acknowledge support from the following funding organizations:

Current Funding and External Grant Support:

• Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)
• Heart & Stroke Foundation
• Boniface Hospital Foundation

Opportunities

Dr. Ravandi’s laboratory invites applications from graduate students. Please connect with Dr. Amir Ravandi using the form below.