Dhaka, November 26, 2024: In a significant advancement for cardiovascular medicine, the
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences of North South University hosted an enlightening seminar
on November 26th featuring Dr. Raquibul Hasan, a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of
Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Mercer University College of Pharmacy in Atlanta, USA, whose
pioneering research is reshaping our understanding of statin medications.
The seminar's highlight was Dr. Hasan's research presentation titled ‘Statins as a New Class of Blood
Pressure Medications’. In his presentation, he presented compelling evidence suggesting statins
could revolutionize blood pressure management that could potentially benefit over 200 million
people who are on stain therapy.
His journey started at Jahangirnagar University, where he earned his Bachelor of Pharmacy and MS
in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Following his doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge and
postdoctoral research at the University of Tennessee, USA, he set up his first independent research
laboratory at Mercer University in Atlanta, USA. As the principal investigator, Dr. Hasan in the past
three years has secured two American Heart Association grants totaling $600,000 and two National
Institutes of Health grants exceeding $3.5 million. His research demonstrates that statins can rapidly
relax blood vessels and lower blood pressure by selectively inhibiting phosphodiesterase1A
(PDE1A) in vascular smooth muscle cells. This process, involving elevated cGMP levels and protein
kinase G activation, presents a novel pathway for blood pressure regulation. Dr. Hasan’s laboratory
is focused on investigating ion channels and G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to advance the
discovery of new drugs and targets and/or repurpose existing therapies for the treatment of
cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, and
stroke.
Dr. Hasan’s research group’s remarkable accomplishment is reflected in numerous awards, including
the college of Pharmacy research award, best poster awards, abstract awards, travel awards,
predoctoral fellowships, and a prestigious Fulbright postdoctoral fellowship.
This seminar at North South University marks a significant milestone in cardiovascular research,
revealing a previously unexplored mechanism of statin therapy in the treatment of hypertension.