Ali Lab
Location and Contact Information
Principal Investigator
About the Ali Lab
The Shah Ali Lab at Columbia University Medical Center is interested in the basic biology of cardiomyocytes, especially with respect to cellular behaviors related to cardiomyocyte DNA content. Dr. Ali’s previous work focused on endogenous cardiomyocyte proliferation in postnatal mice using novel genetic models (PNAS 2014), defining cardiac fibroblast developmental heterogeneity with lineage tracing (Circ Res 2014), identifying homotypic fusion between cardiomyocytes in vivo (Circulation 2020), and investigating the mechanisms of heart regeneration (J Cardiovasc Aging, 2024; J Mol Cell Cardiol 2025). The lab uses neonatal mice as a model system to study mammalian cardiac regeneration. In addition, the lab has developed novel genetic mouse models to study the evolutionary basis for cardiomyocyte polyploidy, which is a notable feature of the mammalian heart. In characterizing the signals that repress adult cardiomyocyte proliferation, the lab aspires to oppose these signals – which could promote cell division in the adult mammalian heart. The long-term goal of the lab is to glean fundamental insights that could enhance the regenerative potential of the mammalian heart.
Current Projects
Elucidate the evolutionary basis for mammalian cardiomyocyte bi- and multi-nucleation
Define the degree and determine the physiological relevance of homotypic fusion between cardiomyocytes
Decipher intercellular communication between resident cardiac lineages during neonatal regeneration
Publications
Paracrine IGFBP3 spatially coordinates IGF signaling to induce myocardial regeneration in mice. Ali SR#*, Nguyen NUN*, Elhelaly W, Hsu CC, Li S, Menendez-Montes I, Wang Z, Cui M, Elnwasany A, Xiao F, Sun J, Thet S, Lam NT, Cardoso A, Pereira AH, Wang J, Olson EN, Kinter MT, Szweda LI, Shelton J, Kimura W, Sadek HA# (2025). J Mol Cell Cardiol. 207:93-106. (#co-corresponding; *co-author).
Hypoxia-Induced Stabilization of Hif2a Promotes Cardiomyocyte Proliferation by Attenuating DNA Damage. Ali SR#*, Nguyen NUN*, Menendez-Montes I, Hsu C-C, Elhelaly W, Lam NT, Li S, Elnawasany A, Najada Y, Thet S, Foo RSY, Sadek HA# (2024). J Cardiovasc Aging. 4:11. PMID: 38455514 PMCID: PMC10919901 (#co-corresponding; *co-author).
Homotypic Fusion Generates Multinucleated Cardiomyocytes in the Murine Heart. Ali SR, Menendez-Montes I, Warshaw J, Xiao F, Sadek HA. Circulation. 2020;141(23):1940-1942. PMID: 32510998.
Deep Learning Identifies Cardiomyocyte Nuclei With High Precision. Ali SR, Nguyen D, Wang B, Jiang S, Sadek HA. Circ Res. 2020;127(5):696-698. PMID: 32486999.
Developmental heterogeneity of cardiac fibroblasts does not predict pathological proliferation and activation. Ali SR, Ranjbarvaziri S, Talkhabi M, Zhao P, Subat A, Hojjat A, Kamran P, Müller AM, Volz KS, Tang Z, Red-Horse K, Ardehali R. Circ Res. 2014;115(7):625-35. PMID: 25037571.
Existing cardiomyocytes generate cardiomyocytes at a low rate after birth in mice. Ali SR, Hippenmeyer S, Saadat LV, Luo L, Weissman IL, Ardehali R. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014;111(24):8850-5. PMID: 24876275.
Lab Members
Shah R. Ali
- Principal Investigator
Dr. Shah Ali is a physician-scientist in the Division of Cardiology in the Department of Medicine. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry at Rutgers University-Newark. He went on to obtain his M.D. from Stanford School of Medicine. He short-tracked his Internal Medicine residency at University of California San Francisco and completed his fellowship training in Cardiology at University of Texas Southwestern. For his research training, he has been mentored by Drs. Huixin He (Rutgers), Irving Weissman (Stanford), Reza Ardehali (UCLA), and Hesham Sadek (UTSW). He was recruited to join the faculty at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) in the Fall of 2021. Dr. Ali treats general cardiology patients at NY Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia.
Christos Tzimas, PhD
- Associate Research Scientist
- Email ct2836@cumc.columbia.edu
Christos Tzimas is an Associate Research Scientist at CUMC in the Department of Medicine, division of Cardiology. He is a biologist (PhD), with scientific and experimental expertise in cardiovascular and cancer molecular and cellular biology. In the Ali Lab, he is currently studying the mechanisms of heart regeneration and the evolutionary basis of multinucleation and polyploidy of mammalian cardiomyocytes. He obtained his PhD degree from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, in Greece. His doctoral thesis was related with the signal transduction pathway of the transcription factor NF-κB, the identification of novel components of the pathway and their role in the fundamental process of ubiquitination. His initial post-doctoral training was done in the field of cancer biology, in Philadelphia USA, at the Wistar Institute and the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied molecular mechanisms of oncogenesis in animal models, as well as the role of ubiquitination and degradation of peptide hormone and cytokine receptors in physiological and pathological conditions. He then moved back to Greece for a second-post doctoral training in the field of cardiovascular biology, at the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, where he studied the role of calcium homeostasis in the pathophysiology of cardiac disease, including arrhythmogenesis and heart failure.
In his free time, he enjoys running, exercising in the gym, and cooking for friends at home. He is a finisher of the “Authentic” Classic Marathon in Athens Greece and in the future he would like to participate in the NYC Marathon as well.
Tanoy Dutta, PhD
- Postdoctoral Fellow
- Email td2907@cumc.columbia.edu
Tanoy completed his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Chemistry at the University of Calcutta and earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) Bhopal, where he built a strong foundation in chemistry, chemical biology, and advanced microscopy. His training has consistently concentrated on understanding how chemical and biological systems interact in complex physiological environments.
He subsequently worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where he investigated the molecular crosstalk between placental stress responses and maternal cardiovascular health. His work involved developing a chemogenetic mouse model of pre-eclampsia and studying how oxidative stress contributes to gestational hypertension and fetal growth restriction. These experiences deepened his interest in bridging fundamental redox chemistry with translational medicine.
Tanoy is passionate about interdisciplinary science, collaborative research, and translating molecular insights into meaningful outcomes for human health. Outside of the lab, he enjoys nature and wildlife photography, exploring national parks, and cooking traditional Bengali dishes.
Jake Ruddy
- Internal Medicine Resident
- Email Jr4254@cumc.columbia.edu
Dr. Ruddy grew up in Oxford, Pennsylvania and received his bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering at Pennsylvania State University. He obtained his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed training in Internal Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He is currently working as a Hospitalist at Columbia.
Samantha Russel Happ
- Master’s Student
- Email scr2168@columbia.edu
Sam is completing her Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in Tissue
Engineering. Her research focuses on understanding the regenerative capacities of
cardiomyocytes by optimizing AI-based models to analyze cellular data. Outside of the lab, Sam
enjoys yoga, running, and baking.
![Samantha's photo]()
Debpriya Das
- Undergraduate
- Email dd3243@columbia.edu
Debpriya Das has a Bachelors in Neuroscience from the University of Melbourne, a Master’s in Global Affairs as a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University, and an MBA in Healthcare Management. She joined the Ali Lab in 2025 as a SURF Fellow. Her research focuses on understanding the role of polyploidy and cardiomyocyte fusion in cardiac regeneration and recovery. She loves teaching biology and painting inspired by science. She is supported by the Bancroft Research Scholars program (Spring 2026).
![Debpriya Das’ photo]()
Leo Li
- Undergraduate
- Email ll3744@cumc.columbia.edu
Leo is a junior at Columbia studying biology and public health. His passion for research started in high school and has only continued to grow throughout college as he continues to learn. Previously, he did research in cancer and orthopedics, deciding to switch to cardiology to further explore his passion and interests in medicine. He hopes to attend medical school in the near future, but for now, enjoys cooking, hiking, and procrastinating.
