Ramadan Ali, PhD

Ramadan Ali, PhD
Ramadan Ali, PhD

Research Investigator
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology

Phone: 734-615-1880
Email: [email protected]

 

Research Overview

Neutrophils are potentially destructive white blood cells that release toxic products called neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), sticky webs of DNA and proteins that have been shown to play a critical role in various autoimmune diseases. The focus of Dr. Ali's research is to understand the pathogenic role of neutrophils and NETs in various thromboinflammatory diseases such as anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS), lupus, and systemic sclerosis (scleroderma), and to identify potential therapeutic targets. He is also interested in plant-derived natural medicine and their anti-inflammatory effects of in the context of these inflammatory diseases.

Research Areas

  • To characterize adenosine A2A receptor signaling in neutrophils as a potential therapeutic target in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Activation of this pathway (which increase in cAMP concentration) inhibits neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) formation and thrombosis. This work reveals the importance of adenosine-cAMP axis signaling as an endogenous counterpoint to thrombiinflammatory disease, specifically its impact on lupus-relevant vascular disease and neutrophil activity.
  • To characterize the anti-inflammatory effects of some natural compounds in the context of lupus and APS. In this work, we characterized the protective effect of ginger active compound (6 gingerol) in two lupus-relevant inflammatory models: TLR7 agonist-treated mice and APS-mediated thrombosis. We found that administering 6-gingerol to mice reduces NET release in both models while attenuating other disease-relevant activities such as autoantibody formation and large-vein thrombosis.
  • Currently, Dr. Ali is focused on understanding the mechanisms of NETs release and their associations with vascular and fibrotic complications in scleroderma patients in a hope to guide therapeutic decisions in early stages of disease.

Education

Dr. Ramadan Ali completed his bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Toledo, Ohio where he also received his PhD degree in Medicinal Chemistry. Dr. Ali joined the Michigan Medicine Division of Rheumatology in 2017 as a postdoctoral fellow, and was appointed as Research Investigator in 2021. 

Publications

News & Stories