Katya Ravid, DSc

Barbara E. Corkey Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Platelet activation plays a central role in thrombosis and hemostasis, while these processes are central to vascular health and disease. In the platelet lineage, bone marrow stem cells develop into early committed megakaryocyte progenitors, which undergo a unique cell cycle leading to polyploid cells prior to fragmenting into platelets. Our research focuses on mechanisms that regulate these processes under normal conditions vs. pathology. We proposed a new paradigm for controlling the transcription of genes uniquely expressed in this lineage, by identifying a cluster of non-tissue specific transcription factors that, together, constitute a signature uniquely driving this lineage development, among other cell lineages in the bone marrow. Studies were extended to identifying mechanisms governing polyploidy in megakaryocytes, leading also to better understanding of regulatory processes that cause polyploidy in other cells, such as aging vascular smooth muscle cells. Past projects involved molecular characterization of platelet and vascular adenosine receptors, and exploration of their roles in such cellular function. Importantly, knowledge gained by studying basic regulatory processes in healthy megakaryocytes and platelets aids our investigation of bone marrow pathologies, such as myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). The systems used include primary bone marrow cultures, as well as transgenic and knock out mouse models.

Publications

  • Published 7/16/2025

    Lotfollahzadeh S, Jose A, Yang X, Bathla T, Lazowski A, Hoekstra I, Sethuraman K, Potluri S, Dulberger K, La J, Fillmore N, Piqueras MDC, Lee N, Cabral HJ, Ravid K, Chitalia V. Dietary Tryptophan Augments Cancer-Associated Venous Thrombosis Mitigated by Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase 1 Inhibition. Blood Adv. 2025 Jul 16. PMID: 40668615.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/10/2025

    Singh SV, Lucerne A, Ravid K. Immune and Inflammatory Properties of Megakaryocytes. Cells. 2025 Jul 10; 14(14). PMID: 40710306.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/30/2025

    Subramaniam S, Napoleon MA, Lotfollahzadeh S, Kamal MH, Kurniawan H, Elsadawi M, Kenney D, Douam F, Bosmann M, Whelan S, Cabral H, Burks EJ, Zhao G, Kolachalama V, Ravid K, Chitalia V. Tryptophan metabolism reprogramming contributes to the prothrombotic milieu in mice and humans infected with SARS-CoV-2. bioRxiv. 2025 Jan 30. PMID: 39896681.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/3/2024

    Dulberger KN, La J, Li A, Lotfollahzadeh S, Jose A, Do NV, Brophy MT, Gaziano JM, Ravid K, Chitalia VC, Fillmore NR. External validation of a novel cancer-associated venous thromboembolism risk assessment score in a safety-net hospital. Res Pract Thromb Haemost. 2025 Jan; 9(1):102650. PMID: 39839661.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 6/20/2024

    Karagianni A, Karkempetzaki AI, Brooks D, Matsuura S, Dambal V, Trackman PC, Ravid K. Deletion of mouse lysyl oxidase in megakaryocytes affects bone properties in a sex-dependent manner. Blood. 2024 Jun 20; 143(25):2666-2670. PMID: 38635757.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 176 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Professor, Biochemistry & Cell Biology
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Member, BU-BMC Cancer Center
    Boston University
  • Member, Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute
    Boston University
  • Founding Director, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University
  • Director, Master of Science Program in Biomedical Research, Medicine
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Member, Genome Science Institute
    Boston University
  • Graduate Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Websites

Education

  • Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, PhD
  • Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, DSc
  • Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, BSc

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