Research
Dr Yalda Jamshidi is a geneticist who focuses on cardiovascular disease and factors that contribute to its development.
Dr Jamshidi leads the Genome Medicine Research Lab. She is particularly interested in a collection of conditions (both inherited and acquired) that cause abnormalities in the rhythm of the heart muscle, and cardiac hypertrophy (when the heart muscle thickens).
She investigates the role genetic factors play in the development of these and other cardiovascular conditions. Her goal is to contribute to the development of new diagnostic tests and therapies that target genes and specific biological mechanisms involved in abnormal rhythm generation in the heart, allowing prevention and better treatment.
Biography
Before joining St George's, Dr Jamshidi worked as a postdoctoral fellow at King's College London, supervised by Dr Sandra O'Dell in the School of Medicine's Diabetes and Nutritional Sciences Division. Her work there focused on the molecular genetics of obesity. She also worked at the Institute of Child Health (supervised by Professor David Latchman, Professor of genetics). In this latter role, she investigated molecular mechanisms involved in cardiac hypertrophy.
Dr Jamshidi's first degree is a BSc (Hons) in Human Genetics, gained from University College London (UCL). Before completing her PhD at UCL in 2002, she was a visiting student at the Pasteur Institute in France, working in Professor Bart Staels's group, focusing on cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Her PhD – the role of PPAR-a in coronary heart disease and cardiac hypertrophy – was supervised by Dr Dave Flavell and Professor Steve Humphries in the Centre for Cardiovascular Genetics at UCL.
Publications
Selected publications
Prins BP, Mead TJ, Brody JA, Sveinbjornsson G, Ntalla I, Bihlmeyer NA, van den Berg M, Bork-Jensen J, Cappellani S, Van Duijvenboden S, Klena NT, Gabriel GC, Liu X, Gulec C, Grarup N, Haessler J, Hall LM, Iorio A, Isaacs A, Li-Gao R, Lin H, Liu CT, Lyytikäinen LP, Marten J, Mei H, Müller-Nurasyid M, Orini M, Padmanabhan S, Radmanesh F, Ramirez J, Robino A, Schwartz M, van Setten J, Smith AV, Verweij N, Warren HR, Weiss S, Alonso A, Arnar DO, Bots ML, de Boer RA, Dominiczak AF, Eijgelsheim M, Ellinor PT, Guo X, Felix SB, Harris TB, Hayward C, Heckbert SR, Huang PL, Jukema JW, Kähönen M, Kors JA, Lambiase PD, Launer LJ, Li M, Linneberg A, Nelson CP, Pedersen O, Perez M, Peters A, Polasek O, Psaty BM, Raitakari OT, Rice KM, Rotter JI, Sinner MF, Soliman EZ, Spector TD, Strauch K, Thorsteinsdottir U, Tinker A, Trompet S, Uitterlinden A, Vaartjes I, van der Meer P, Völker U, Völzke H, Waldenberger M, Wilson JG, Xie Z, Asselbergs FW, Dörr M, van Duijn CM, Gasparini P, Gudbjartsson DF, Gudnason V, Hansen T, Kääb S, Kanters JK, Kooperberg C, Lehtimäki T, Lin HJ, Lubitz SA, Mook-Kanamori DO, Conti FJ, Newton-Cheh CH, Rosand J, Rudan I, Samani NJ, Sinagra G, Smith BH, Holm H, Stricker BH, Ulivi S, Sotoodehnia N, Apte SS, van der Harst P, Stefansson K, Munroe PB, Arking DE, Lo CW, Jamshidi Y. Exome-chip meta-analysis identifies novel loci associated with cardiac conduction, including ADAMTS6. Genome Biol. 2018 Jul 17;19(1):87 (IF 12.7)
van Setten J, Brody JA, Jamshidi Y, Swenson BR, Butler AM, Campbell H, Del Greco FM, Evans DS, Gibson Q, Gudbjartsson DF, Kerr KF, Krijthe BP, Lyytikäinen LP, Müller C, Müller-Nurasyid M, Nolte IM, Padmanabhan S, Ritchie MD, Robino A, Smith AV, Steri M, Tanaka T, Teumer A, Trompet S, Ulivi S, Verweij N, Yin X, Arnar DO, Asselbergs FW, Bader JS, Barnard J, Bis J, Blankenberg S, Boerwinkle E, Bradford Y, Buckley BM, Chung MK, Crawford D, den Hoed M, Denny JC, Dominiczak AF, Ehret GB, Eijgelsheim M, Ellinor PT, Felix SB, Franco OH, Franke L, Harris TB, Holm H, Ilaria G, Iorio A, Kähönen M, Kolcic I, Kors JA, Lakatta EG, Launer LJ, Lin H, Lin HJ, Loos RJF, Lubitz SA, Macfarlane PW, Magnani JW, Leach IM, Meitinger T, Mitchell BD, Munzel T, Papanicolaou GJ, Peters A, Pfeufer A, Pramstaller PP, Raitakari OT, Rotter JI, Rudan I, Samani NJ, Schlessinger D, Silva Aldana CT, Sinner MF, Smith JD, Snieder H, Soliman EZ, Spector TD, Stott DJ, Strauch K, Tarasov KV, Thorsteinsdottir U, Uitterlinden AG, Van Wagoner DR, Völker U, Völzke H, Waldenberger M, Jan Westra H, Wild PS, Zeller T, Alonso A, Avery CL, Bandinelli S, Benjamin EJ, Cucca F, Dörr M, Ferrucci L, Gasparini P, Gudnason V, Hayward C, Heckbert SR, Hicks AA, Jukema JW, Kääb S, Lehtimäki T, Liu Y, Munroe PB, Parsa A, Polasek O, Psaty BM, Roden DM, Schnabel RB, Sinagra G, Stefansson K, Stricker BH, van der Harst P, van Duijn CM, Wilson JF, Gharib SA, de Bakker PIW, Isaacs A, Arking DE, Sotoodehnia N. PR interval genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies 50 loci associated with atrial and atrioventricular electrical activity. Nat Commun. 2018 Jul 25;9(1):2904. (IF 12.353)
Osborn DP, Pond HL, Mazaheri N, Dejardin J, Munn CJ, Mushref K, Cauley ES, Moroni I, Pasanisi MB, Sellars EA, Hill RS, Partlow JN, Willaert RK, Bharj J, Malamiri RA, Galehdari H, Shariati G, Maroofian R, Mora M, Swan LE, Voit T, Conti FJ, Jamshidi Y*, Manzini MC*.Mutations in INPP5K Cause a Form of Congenital Muscular Dystrophy Overlapping Marinesco-Sjögren Syndrome and Dystroglycanopathy. Am J Hum Genet. 2017 Mar 2;100(3):537-545. *These authors contributed equally. (IF 8.855)
van der Harst P, van Setten J, Verweij N, Vogler G, Franke L, Maurano MT, Wang X, .... Newton-Cheh C*, Hicks AA*, Chambers JC*, Jamshidi Y*, Visel A*, Christoffels VM*, Isaacs A*, Samani NJ*, de Bakker PI*. 52 Genetic Loci Influencing Myocardial Mass. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2016 Sep 27;68(13):1435-48. *These authors contributed equally. (IF 16.834)
UK10K Consortium. The UK10K project identifies rare variants in health and disease. Nature. 2015 Oct 1;526(7571):82-90.
Jamshidi Y, Nolte IM, Dalageorgou C, Zheng D, Johnson T, Bastiaenen R, Ruddy S, Talbott D, Norris KJ, Snieder H, George AL, Marshall V, Shakir S, Kannankeril PJ, Munroe PB, Camm AJ, Jeffery S, Roden DM, Behr ER. Common variation in the NOS1AP gene is associated with drug-induced QT prolongation and ventricular arrhythmia. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2012, Aug 28; 60(9): 841-50. (IF 16.834)
Sotoodehnia N*, Isaacs A*, de Bakker PI*, Dörr M*, Newton-Cheh C*, Nolte IM*, van der Harst P*, Müller M*, Eijgelsheim M*, Alonso A*, Hicks AA*, Padmanabhan S*, Hayward C*, Smith AV*, Polasek O*, Giovannone S*, Fu J*, [75 authors], Rudan I*, Snieder H*, Wilson JF*, Pramstaller PP*, Siscovick DS*, Wang TJ*, Gudnason V*, van Duijn CM*, Felix SB*, Fishman GI*, Jamshidi Y*, Ch Stricker BH*, Samani NJ*, Kääb S*, Arking DE*. Common variants in 22 loci are associated with QRS duration and cardiac ventricular conduction. Nat Genet. 2010, Dec; 42(12): 1068-76. *These authors contributed equally. (IF 27.125)
Jamshidi Y, Montgomery HE, Hense HW, Myerson SG, Torra IP, Staels B, World MJ, Doering A, Erdmann J, Hengstenberg C, Humphries SE, Schunkert H, Flavell DM. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha gene regulates left ventricular growth in response to exercise and hypertension. Circulation. 2002, Feb 26; 105(8): 950-5. (IF 19.309)
Flavell DM, Jamshidi Y, Hawe E, Pineda Torra I, Taskinen MR, Frick MH, Nieminen MS, Kesäniemi YA, Pasternack A, Staels B, Miller G, Humphries SE, Talmud PJ, Syvänne M. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha gene variants influence progression of coronary atherosclerosis and risk of coronary artery disease. Circulation. 2002 Mar 26;105(12):1440-5. (IF 19.309)
Research group
Jaipreet Bharj, PhD student, investigating gene expression changes in a zebrafish model of dystrophy
Collaborations
Dr Jamshidi and colleagues in the Genome Medicine Research Lab work very closely with Professor Harold Snieder, a genetic epidemiologist with expertise in cardiovascular disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes in the Unit of Genetic Epidemiology and Bioinformatics at the University of Groningen in The Netherlands, and his colleague Dr Ilja M Nolte.
Dr Jamshidi has a long-standing collaborative relationship with Professor Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King's College London and director of the TwinUK Registry. Dr Jamshidi has analysed genetic samples from the TwinsUK Registry as part of the Wellcome funded UK10K project's search for rare mutations associated with cardiac arrhythmias.
She also collaborates with:
Professor Patricia Munroe, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine, UK
Nona Sotoodehnia, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, USA
Arne Pfeufer, Institute of Genetic Medicine, European Academy of Bozen/Bolzano (EURAC), Bolzano, Italy
Chris Newton-Cheh, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a staff cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA (Center for Human Genetic Research and the Cardiovascular Research Center); and
Mark Eijgelsheim, Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Funding
Molecular and therapeutic mechanisms of a novel form of congenital muscular dystrophy.
Awarded to Jamshidi (PI), Osborn (Co-PI)
Newlife Charity
2017-2018
Developing a commercial zebrafish facility
Awarded to Jamshidi (PI), Osborn (Co-PI)
Impact and Innovation Award, SGUL
2015-2016
Influence of low frequency and rare variants on ECG risk traits for cardiac arrhythmias
Awarded to Jamshidi (PI)
British Heart Foundation
February 2013 to April 2015
Necrotizing enterocolitis and coagulation protein expression in neonates
Awarded to Jamshidi (co-applicant) and others
St George’s Charitable Trust
September 2012 to December 2013
International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC)
UK research consortium
Awarded to Munroe (PI), Jamshidi (co-applicant) and others
Medical Research Council
2011 to 2014
Personalised genomic medicine: targeted sequencing for LQT disease alleles
Awarded to Jamshidi (co-applicant) and others
St George's Charitable Trust
2011 to 2012
Signal-transduction pathways involved in the hypertrophic effect of leptin in cardiomyocytes
Awarded to Jamshidi (PI)
Wellcome Trust Value in People Award
2008 to 2009
Genetic and environmental contribution to QT interval duration in the normal population: a UK twin candidate gene study
Awarded to Jamshidi (PI)
British Heart Foundation
2006 to 2010
Teaching
Dr Jamshidi has a Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare and Biomedical Education and has taught molecular biology and genetics to medical, BSc and PhD/MRes students.
She initiated and runs the Cloning, Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine module offered to medical students who choose to undertake an Intercalated BSc, and to third year Biomedical Science BSc students.
She acts as a personal tutor to both medical students and Biomedical Science BSc students, and delivers lectures about genetics to undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Yalda is the external examiner for the Genomic Medicine MSc at Exeter University.
