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Salah-uddin Ahmed

Salah-uddin Ahmed
Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences Executive Director of Graduate Programs 509-368-6566 PBS 411 Spokane

Education

  • PhD in nutrition and chemoprevention, Hamdard University, Department of Toxicology, New Delhi, India
  • Master of Science in toxicology, Hamdard University, New Delhi, India
  • Bachelor of Science in zoology and chemistry, Rajasthan University, Jaipur, India

Additional training

Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Orthopedics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio

Teaching

Dr. Salah-uddin Ahmed’s teaching activities include central nervous system and endocrine systems pharmacology, toxicology, and drug discovery and development.

Research

Ahmed’s primary research focus is aimed at understanding the role of epigenetic, posttranslational, and cell signaling mechanisms orchestrated by a network of cytokines and chemokines in autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA), and gout. His current research focus is to examine the role of epigenetic and posttranslational mechanisms involved in tissue damage and inflammation induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α in RA and other autoimmune diseases. Ahmed’s research lab is currently one of the active groups involved in developing novel targeted therapeutics (microRNA and small-molecule inhibitors) in the prevention and treatment of RA, gout, OA, and vascular inflammation.

Ahmed’s research is currently funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Rheumatology Research Foundation.

Recent Research Support
07/12/18-06/30/2023 | “MicroRNA-based therapy for rheumatoid arthritis.”
NIAMS/NIH R01 AR063104
Principal Investigator: Salah-uddin Ahmed

08/16/19-08/15/21 | “Elucidating the Role of Sulfatase-2 in RA Pathogenesis.”
NIAMS/NIH F31 AR076204
Principal Investigator: Ruby J Siegel; Mentor: Salah-uddin Ahmed

07/01/20-06/30/21 | “Role of guanylate binding proteins in gouty arthritis.”
Rheumatology Research Foundation Medical and Graduate Student Preceptorship
Principal Investigator (Mentor): Salah-uddin Ahmed

Additional Information

Ahmed received his PhD from Hamdard University in New Delhi, India. His research focused on nutrition and chemoprevention. After spending few years as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Orthopedics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio, Ahmed continued his research work as a research associate in the Department of Medicine, and then moved to the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, Mich., to work as a research investigator and then a research assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine where he received his first NIH research grant to study the potential therapeutic properties in green tea and its active molecule epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). Ahmed moved his research into pharmacology at the University of Toledo College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2009, where he spent five years as an assistant professor. Ahmed joined the WSU College of Pharmacy as a tenured associate professor in 2014. In 2019, Ahmed was promoted to full professor position in the department of pharmaceutical sciences.

Ahmed serves on several NIH study sections as a grant reviewer and is on the editorial board for the peer-reviewed journals Arthritis Research & Therapy, and Clinical Medicine Insights: Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Disorders. He also serves as an ad hoc reviewer for over 15 other journals including Arthritis and Rheumatism, JCI Insights, Biochemical Pharmacology, Toxicology & Applied Pharmacology, Journal of Immunology, and the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. At present, Ahmed also holds affiliate faculty appointment in the division of rheumatology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA.

Honors and Awards

2020 Graduate Faculty of the Year
2019 Medical Honoree from The Inland Northwest Arthritis Foundation
2017 Washington State University Provost Leadership Academy Cohort
2015 Chair, Graduate Program Committee (2015-2017), WSU Pharmaceutical Sciences
2012 ACR/REF-Abbott Health Professional Graduate Preceptorship Award, American College of Rheumatology
2007 Young Scientist Travel Award, American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
1999 Young Scientist Travel Fellowship, International Union of Pharmacology

Memberships

  • American Association of Immunologists (Regular member)
  • American College of Rheumatology (Research Member)
  • American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
  • American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy

Peer-Reviewed Publications since 2015

Boddu SHS, Alsaab H, Umar S, Bonam SP, Gupta H, Ahmed S. Anti-inflammatory Effects of a Novel Ricinoleic Acid Poloxamer Gel System for Transdermal Delivery, Int J Pharmaceu 2015; 479; 207-11.

Umar S, Hedaya O, Singh AK, and Ahmed S. Thymoquinone inhibits TNF-α-induced inflammation and cell adhesion in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts by ASK1 regulation. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2015:287; 299-305.

Nash KM and Ahmed S. Nanomedicine in the ROS-mediated pathophysiology: applications and clinical advances. Nanomedicine 2015:11;2033-40.

Singh AK, Umar S, Riegsecker, Chourasia M, and Ahmed S. Regulation of TAK1 activation by epigallocatechin-3-gallate in RA synovial fibroblasts: Suppression of K63-linked autoubiquitination of TRAF6. Arthritis Rheumatol 2016; 68(2):347-58.

Akhtar N, Singh AK, and Ahmed S. MicroRNA-17 suppresses TNF-α signaling by interfering with TRAF2 and cIAP2 association in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts. J Immunol 2016;197(6):2219-28.

Fechtner SC, Fox DA, and Ahmed S. TAK1: a potential therapeutic target in rheumatic diseases. Rheumatology 2017;56(7):1060-1068.

Agere SA, Akhtar N, Watson JM, and Ahmed S. RANTES/CCL5 Induces Collagen Degradation by Activating MMP-1 and MMP-13 Expression in Human Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovial Fibroblasts. Front Immunol 2017;8:1341.

Fechtner SC, Singh AK, Chourasia M, and Ahmed S. Molecular insights into the differences in anti-inflammatory activities of green tea catechins on IL-1β signaling in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2017 Aug 15;329:112-120.

Agere SA, Akhtar N, Kim EY, and Ahmed S. Syndecans in chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases: pathological insights and therapeutic opportunities. J Cell Physiol 2018 [doi: 10.1002/jcp.26388].

Kim EY, Sudini K, Singh AK, Haque M, Leaman D, Khuder S, Ahmed S. Ursolic acid facilitates apoptosis in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts by inducing SP-1 mediated Noxa expression and proteasomal degradation of Mcl-1. FASEB J 2018 May 25. doi: 10.1096/fj.201800425R.

Singh AK, Fechtner SC, and Ahmed S. Critical role of IL-1α in IL-1β-induced inflammatory responses: cooperation with NF-κBp65 in transcriptional regulation. FASEB J 2019 Feb;33(2):2526-2536..

Fechtner SC, Singh AK, and Ahmed S. Role of Cannabinoid Receptor 2 in mediating Interleukin-1β-induced inflammation in Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovial Fibroblasts Clin Exp Rheumatol 2019 Nov-Dec;37(6):1026-1035.

Brown M and Ahmed S. Emerging role of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type-9 (PCSK-9) in Inflammation and Diseases. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2019 May 1;370:170-177.

Fechtner SC, Singh AK, Natesan S, and Ahmed S. Cannabinoid receptor 2 agonist JWH-015 inhibits Interleukin-1β-induced inflammation in Rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts and in adjuvant induced arthritis rat via glucocorticoid receptor. Front Immunol 2019 May 8;10:1027. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01027.

Singh AK, Haque M, Chourasia M, and Ahmed S. Suppression of monosodium urate crystal-induced inflammation by inhibiting TGFβ-activated kinase 1-dependent signaling: Role of ubiquitin proteasome system. Cell Mol Immunol 2019 Sep 11. doi: 10.1038/s41423-019-0284-3.

Siegel RJ, Bridges SL Jr., and Ahmed S. Emerging role of HLA-C in rheumatic and inflammatory diseases. ACR Open 2019 Sep 6;1(9):571-579.

Mahamudul Haque, Anil K. Singh and Ahmed S. Guanylate Binding Protein 5 (GBP5) Inhibits Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovial Fibroblast Mediated Inflammation and Tissue Destruction. Arthritis Rheumatol 2020; [In review].

Akhtar N, Ruth JH, Rasmussen S, Singh AK, Fox DA, and Ahmed S. AT101, a BH3 mimetic inhibitor of Mcl-1/Bcl-2, suppresses synovial hyperplasia and tissue destruction in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Res Ther [In revision].

Haque M, Siegel RJ, Fox DA and Ahmed S. Guanylate-binding proteins in autoimmune and rheumatic diseases. Rheumatology (Oxford) [In revision].

Abstract Presentations since 2015

Umar S, Hedaya O, Singh AK, and Ahmed S. Thymoquinone inhibits TNF-α-induced pro- inflammatory mediators in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts in vitro. Experimental Biology 2015 meeting, Boston, MA.

Agere S, Akhtar N, Riegsecker S, and Ahmed. Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG) inhibits RANTES/CCL5 induced MMP-1 and MMP-13 expression in human rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts. Experimental Biology 2015 meeting, Boston, MA.

Akhtar N and Ahmed S. Regulation of ASK-1 expression by microRNA-17 and its correlation with rheumatoid arthritis pathogenesis. Annual European Congress of Rheumatology EULAR® 2015 meeting in Rome, Italy, 10 – 13 June 2015.

Singh AK, Chourasia M, and Ahmed S. Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG) facilitates TAK1 nuclear translocation and its interaction with p300 to inhibit histone acetylation in human RA synovial fibroblasts. American College of Rheumatology meeting held in November 7-11, 2015, San Francisco, CA.

Akhtar N, and Ahmed S. Characterization of different phosphorylation sites of Mcl-1 in human rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts and their correlation with RA pathogenesis. American College of Rheumatology meeting held in November 7-11, 2015, San Francisco, CA.

Akhtar N and Ahmed S. Regulation of ASK-1 expression by microRNA-17 and its correlation with rheumatoid arthritis pathogenesis. American College of Rheumatology meeting held in November 7-11, 2015, San Francisco, CA.

Umar S, Roe G, Fechtner S, and Ahmed S. Pentagalloyl glucose (PGG) exhibits anti- rheumatic activity in Human RA synovial fibroblasts and rat adjuvant-induced arthritis. American College of Rheumatology meeting held in November 7-11, 2015, San Francisco, CA.

Agere S, Akhtar N, Riegsecker S, and Ahmed. RANTES/CCL5 selectively induces MMP-1 and MMP-13 production in human rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts via PKC-δ and JNK pathway. American College of Rheumatology meeting held in November 7-11, 2015, San Francisco, CA.

S Ahmed. Novel targeted therapeutics in regulating synovial hyperplasia in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology Grand Rounds, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA; June 14, 2016.

Agere S, Akhtar N, Riegsecker S, Fox DA, and Ahmed. Syndecans Mediate RANTES/CCL5 Induced MMP-1 and MMP-13 Expression in Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovial Fibroblasts. American College of Rheumatology meeting to be held in November 12-16, 2016, Washington, DC.

Akhtar N and Ahmed S. EGCG Down-Regulates TNF-α-Induced Mcl-1 Expression By Modulating Mule/Huwe1, β-TrCP, and USP9X Ubiquitin/De-Ubiquitin Ligases in Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovial Fibroblasts. American College of Rheumatology meeting to be held in November 12-16, 2016, Washington, DC.

Ahmed S. TGF-β activated kinase 1: a potential new target for an ancient disease. Rheumatology Grant Rounds, University of Alabama at Birmingham. June 29, 2017.

Singh AK, Umar S, Haque M, Chourasia MK, and Ahmed S. Suppression of Monosodium Urate (MSU) Crystals-Induced Inflammatory Response By Inhibiting TGF-β Activated Kinase 1 (TAK1). American College of Rheumatology meeting held in November 12-16, 2016, Washington, DC.

Akhtar N, Singh AK, and Ahmed S. Microrna-17 Suppresses TNF-α Signaling By Reducing TRAF2 and cIAP2 Association in Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovial Fibroblasts. American College of Rheumatology meeting held in November 12-16, 2016, Washington, DC.

Haque M, Singh AK, and Ahmed S. Regulation of Interleukin-1β Signaling By Inhibition of O- Glc-Nacase in Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovial Fibroblasts. American College of Rheumatology meeting held in November 4-7, 2017, San Diego, CA.

Fechtner SC and Ahmed S. Cannabinoid Receptor 2 Agonist (JWH-015) Inhibits Interleukin- 1β-Induced Inflammation in Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovial Fibroblasts. American College of Rheumatology meeting held in November 4-7, 2017, San Diego, CA.

Kim EY, Walsh L, Khuder S, and Ahmed S. Ursolic Acid Promotes Apoptosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovial Fibroblasts By Upregulating Noxa Expression and Recruiting E3 Ligase Mule to Degrade Mcl-1. American College of Rheumatology meeting held in November 4-7, 2017, San Diego, CA.

Agere S, Akhtar N, Fox DA, and Ahmed S. Role of Syndecans in Cytokine Mediated Inflammation in Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovial Fibroblasts. American College of Rheumatology meeting held in November 4-7, 2017, San Diego, CA.

Wang D, Fechtner SC, Singh AK, Chourasia M, and Ahmed S. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) inhibit IL-6-induced STAT3 activation in hepatocytes. Washington State University Research Day, August, 2017, Spokane, WA.

Mahamudul Haque, Anil K. Singh and Ahmed S. Guanylate Binding Protein 5 (GBP5) Inhibits Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovial Fibroblast Mediated Inflammation and Tissue Destruction. American College of Rheumatology meeting held in October 2018, Chicago, IL.

Anil K. Singh, Sabrina Fechtner, Mukesh Chourasia, Jerry Sicalo and Ahmed S. Critical Role of Interleukin-1α (IL-1α) in IL-1β-Induced Inflammatory Responses: Cooperation with NF-kBp65 in Transcriptional Regulation. American College of Rheumatology meeting held in October 2018, Chicago, IL.

Anil K. Singh, Sabrina Fechtner, Dorothy Wang, Mukesh Chourasia and Ahmed S. Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG) Suppresses Systemic Inflammation By Inhibiting IL-6-Induced STAT3 Activation in Cultured Hepatocytes and in Liver Tissue of Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis (AIA) Rats. American College of Rheumatology meeting held in October 2018, Chicago, IL.

Sabrina Fechtner, Anil K. Singh and Ahmed S. Characterization of the Role of Endocannabinoid System Using JWH-133, a Selective Cannabinoid CB2 Receptor Agonist, in IL-1β-Induced Inflammation in Human Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovial Fibroblasts. American College of Rheumatology meeting held in October 2018, Chicago, IL.

Ruby J. Siegel, Solomon A. Agere, Anil K. Singh and Ahmed S. Elucidating the Expression and Role of Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycan Editing Sulfatases in Human Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovium and a Rat Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis Model. American College of Rheumatology meeting held in October 2018, Chicago, IL.

Mahamudul Haque, Anil K. Singh and Ahmed S. Regulation of Interleukin-1β (IL-1β)-induced COX-2 Expression and IL-6 and MMP-1 Production in Human OA Synovial Fibroblasts by Guanylate Binding Protein 5. American College of Rheumatology meeting held in November 2019, Atlanta, GA.

Ruby J. Siegel, Anil K. Singh and Ahmed S. A Novel Role for Extracellular Sulfatase-2 in Mediating IL-6-induced Adhesion and Migration Molecules in Human Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovial Fibroblasts. American College of Rheumatology meeting held in November 2019, Atlanta, GA.

Anil K. Singh, Mahamudul Haque, Bhanupriya Madarampalli, Jerry Sicalo and Ahmed S. Interleukin-6 Promotes Osteoclast-like Phenotype in Human Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovial Fibroblasts. American College of Rheumatology meeting to be held in November 2019, Atlanta, GA.

Book Chapters

Ahmed S, Haqqi TM. Emerging role of green tea in prevention of arthritis. In: Tea and Human Health (Weisberg J, Siddiqi M, eds.). Cambridge, Mass.: CABI Publishing, pp 172-181, 2006.