Asad Akhtar
Job description
I'm Asad, originally from Pakistan, where I earned my veterinary medicine degree. After serving several years as a general practitioner in public veterinary hospitals, my growing interest in physiology and immunology led me to the Arctic University of Norway. There, I pursued a master's in Biomedicine, deepening my understanding of these disciplines. Currently, I am a Ph.D. fellow with the Cardiovascular Research Group at IMB, and actively involved in several research projects.
In 2022, I had the privilege of receiving a mobility grant, which took me to JBC at Kings College London. This opportunity allowed me to further refine my skills in metabolomics and in-vivo techniques under the guidance of Professor Ajay Shah.
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Research interests
My research interests lie at the intersection of cardiovascular physiology, metabolic remodeling, and therapy-induced cardiotoxicity. I focus on understanding how cancer treatments—particularly doxorubicin and trastuzumab—affect cardiac structure and function, with an emphasis on metabolic adaptation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction. To investigate early markers and underlying mechanisms of cardiotoxicity, I employ a combination of in vivo and ex vivo approaches, including echocardiography, cardiac MRI, and targeted metabolomics. I also explore the role of sex and hormonal status in cardiovascular remodeling using comparative models involving male, female, and ovariectomized Dahl salt-sensitive rats. My long-term goal is to identify early biomarkers and therapeutic targets for cardioprotection, as well as to advance understanding of cardiovascular involvement in autoimmune diseases
Teaching
As part of my teaching activities, I have contributed to the course MED-1501: Autoimmunity and Immunotherapy at the Institute of Medical Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, where I was involved in teaching topics related to autoimmunity and immunotherapy. Additionally, I have participated in MBI-2004: Lab Course - ELISA and Blood Groups, conducting and supervising laboratory sessions focused on ELISA techniques and blood group analysis.
