John David Imig, PhD

Research Program: Cancer Therapeutics Faculty Rank: Chair and Professor Campus: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College: College of Pharmacy Department: Pharmaceutical Sciences

Cancer Research Interest

• Disease Site Focus: No Specific Disease Site
• Research Focus Area: Treatment
• Type of Research: Basic, Translational
• Research Keywords: eicosanoids, cardiovascular, renal, nephrotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, drug development
• Research Interest Statement: The Imig laboratory is dedicated to understanding how certain fatty acids, known as epoxylipids, influence kidney, metabolic, and cardiovascular function. His team has advanced its findings through translational research and developed new epoxylipid-based drugs to potentially treat diseases including heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disese, and kidney diseases. These drugs have also been demonstrated to protect against radiation and anti-cancer drug related kidney and cardiovascular toxicities.

Contact Information

• Email Address: JImig@uams.edu
• Profiles Research Networking Software: View Profile

Active Grants

• NIH/Nat. Inst. of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases – 5R01DK133197
  “Theophylline Prophylaxis during Hypothermia to Limit Neonatal Nephron Damage”
  Principal Investigator
  4/1/2024 – 3/31/2026
• NIH/Nat. Inst. of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases – 7R01DK126452
  “Endothelial Epoxygenase, Kidney Injury, and Blood Pressure Regulation”
  Principal Investigator
  2/2/2023 – 5/31/2026
• Arkansas Research Alliance – AWD00055561
  “Arkansas Research Alliance Dr. Imig”
  Principal Investigator
  9/1/2022 – 8/31/2025

Recent Publications

• Goorani S, Zangene S, Imig JD. Hypertension: A Continuing Public Healthcare Issue. International journal of molecular sciences. 2024 26(1). PMID: 39795981. PMCID: PMC11720251.
• Gawrys O, Jíchová Š, Miklovič M, [et al., including Imig JD]. Characterization of a new model of chemotherapy-induced heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and nephrotic syndrome in Ren-2 transgenic rats. Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension. 2024 47(11):3126-3146. PMID: 39245782. PMCID: PMC11534684.
• Goorani S, Khan AH, Mishra A, [et al., including Imig JD]. Kidney Injury by Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction in Mice Lacks Sex Differences. Kidney & blood pressure research. 2024. PMID: 38185105. PMCID: PMC10877550.
• Imig JD, Abdul Hye Khan M, Stavniichuk A, [et al.]. Salt-sensitive hypertension after reversal of unilateral ureteral obstruction. Biochemical pharmacology. 2023:115438. PMID: 36716827. PMCID: PMC10107073.
• Imig JD. Editorial: The future of physiology: 2020 and beyond, Volume III. Frontiers in physiology. 2023 14:1159406. PMID: 36935750. PMCID: PMC10015244.
• Imig JD. Bioactive lipids in hypertension. Advances in pharmacology (San Diego, Calif.). 2023 97:1-35. PMID: 37236756. PMCID: PMC10918458.
• Imig JD. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors, farnesoid X receptor, and dual modulating drugs in hypertension. Frontiers in physiology. 2023 14:1186477. PMID: 37427406. PMCID: PMC10326315.
• Imig JD, Wu J, Gohar EY. Editorial: Nuclear receptors in hemodynamics and blood pressure control. Frontiers in physiology. 2023 14:1290411. PMID: 37829111. PMCID: PMC10565469.
• Khan MAH, Nolan B, Stavniichuk A, [et al., including Imig JD]. Dual soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor - farnesoid X receptor agonist interventional treatment attenuates renal inflammation and fibrosis. Frontiers in immunology. 2023 14:1269261. PMID: 38235144. PMCID: PMC10791967.
• Imig JD. Osteopontin Regulates Phosphate Solubility to Prevent Mineral Aggregates in CKD. Kidney360. 2022 3(9):1477-1479. PMID: 36245661. PMCID: PMC9528367.
• Imig JD. SARS-CoV-2 spike protein causes cardiovascular disease independent of viral infection. Clinical science (London, England : 1979). 2022 136(6):431-434. PMID: 35348182. PMCID: PMC8965847.
• Imig JD. Orally active epoxyeicosatrienoic acid analogs in hypertension and renal injury. Advances in pharmacology (San Diego, Calif.). 2022 94:27-55. PMID: 35659375. PMCID: PMC10105514.
• Chiang KC, Imig JD, Kalantar-Zadeh K, Gupta A. Kidney in the net of acute and long-haul coronavirus disease 2019: a potential role for lipid mediators in causing renal injury and fibrosis. Current opinion in nephrology and hypertension. 2022 31(1):36-46. PMID: 34846312.
• Imig JD. Frontiers in metabolic physiology grand challenges. Frontiers in physiology. 2022 13:879617. PMID: 36035475. PMCID: PMC9399398.
• Imig JD, Zhao X, Elmarakby AA, Pavlov T. Editorial: Interactions Between Podocytes, Mesangial Cells, and Glomerular Endothelial Cells in Glomerular Diseases. Frontiers in physiology. 2022 13:849693. PMID: 35399279. PMCID: PMC8984182.
• Chiang KC, Rizk JG, Nelson DJ, [et al., including Imig JD]. Ramatroban for chemoprophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19: David takes on Goliath. Expert opinion on therapeutic targets. 2022 26(1):13-28. PMID: 35068281. PMCID: PMC10119876.
• Imig JD, Cervenka L, Neckar J. Epoxylipids and soluble epoxide hydrolase in heart diseases. Biochemical pharmacology. 2022 195:114866. PMID: 34863976. PMCID: PMC8712413.
• Khan MAH, Hwang SH, Barnett SD, [et al., including Imig JD]. Multitarget molecule, PTUPB, to treat diabetic nephropathy in rats. British journal of pharmacology. 2021 178(22):4468-4484. PMID: 34255857. PMCID: PMC8863090.
• Imig JD, Merk D, Proschak E. Multi-Target Drugs for Kidney Diseases. Kidney360. 2021 2(10):1645-1653. PMID: 35372984. PMCID: PMC8785794.
• Widiapradja A, Kasparian AO, McCaffrey SL, [et al., including Imig JD]. Replacement of Lost Substance P Reduces Fibrosis in the Diabetic Heart by Preventing Adverse Fibroblast and Macrophage Phenotype Changes. Cells. 2021 10(10). PMID: 34685639. PMCID: PMC8534147.
• Kala P, Miklovič M, Jíchová Š, [et al., including Imig JD]. Effects of Epoxyeicosatrienoic Acid-Enhancing Therapy on the Course of Congestive Heart Failure in Angiotensin II-Dependent Rat Hypertension: From mRNA Analysis towards Functional In Vivo Evaluation. Biomedicines. 2021 9(8). PMID: 34440257. PMCID: PMC8393645.
• Imig JD. Diabetes risk associated with plasma epoxylipid levels. EBioMedicine. 2021 66:103331. PMID: 33857907. PMCID: PMC8050865.
• Imig JD, Hye Khan MA, Burkhan A, [et al.]. Kidney-Targeted Epoxyeicosatrienoic Acid Analog, EET-F01, Reduces Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, and Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity. International journal of molecular sciences. 2021 22(6). PMID: 33801911. PMCID: PMC7998941.
• Klemens CA, Chulkov EG, Wu J, [et al., including Imig JD]. Loss of Chloride Channel 6 (CLC-6) Affects Vascular Smooth Muscle Contractility and Arterial Stiffness via Alterations to Golgi Calcium Stores. Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979). 2021 77(2):582-593. PMID: 33390052. PMCID: PMC7856014.
• Jankiewicz WK, Barnett SD, Stavniichuk A, [et al., including Imig JD]. Dual sEH/COX-2 Inhibition Using PTUPB-A Promising Approach to Antiangiogenesis-Induced Nephrotoxicity. Frontiers in pharmacology. 2021 12:744776. PMID: 34955823. PMCID: PMC8695932.
• Baranowska I, Gawrys O, Walkowska A, [et al., including Imig JD]. Epoxyeicosatrienoic Acid Analog and 20-HETE Antagonist Combination Prevent Hypertension Development in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats. Frontiers in pharmacology. 2021 12:798642. PMID: 35111064. PMCID: PMC8802114.
• Walkowska A, Červenka L, Imig JD, [et al.]. Early Renal Vasodilator and Hypotensive Action of Epoxyeicosatrienoic Acid Analog (EET-A) and 20-HETE Receptor Blocker (AAA) in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats. Frontiers in physiology. 2021 12:622882. PMID: 33584348. PMCID: PMC7876274.
• George J, Zhang Y, Sloan J, [et al., including Imig JD]. Tim-1 Deficiency Aggravates High-Fat Diet-Induced Steatohepatitis in Mice. Frontiers in immunology. 2021 12:747794. PMID: 34675931. PMCID: PMC8523998.
• Maranto C, Udhane V, Jia J, [et al., including Imig JD]. Prospects for Clinical Development of Stat5 Inhibitor IST5-002: High Transcriptomic Specificity in Prostate Cancer and Low Toxicity In Vivo. Cancers. 2020 12(11). PMID: 33217941. PMCID: PMC7724566.
• Imig JD. Eicosanoid blood vessel regulation in physiological and pathological states. Clinical science (London, England : 1979). 2020 134(20):2707-2727. PMID: 33095237.
• Stavniichuk A, Hye Khan MA, Yeboah MM, [et al., including Imig JD]. Dual soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor/PPAR-γ agonist attenuates renal fibrosis. Prostaglandins & other lipid mediators. 2020 150:106472. PMID: 32569747.
• Gawrys O, Husková Z, Baranowska I, [et al., including Imig JD]. Combined treatment with epoxyeicosatrienoic acid analog and 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid antagonist provides substantial hypotensive effect in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Journal of hypertension. 2020 38(9):1802-1810. PMID: 32384390.
• Imig JD, Jankiewicz WK, Khan AH. Epoxy Fatty Acids: From Salt Regulation to Kidney and Cardiovascular Therapeutics: 2019 Lewis K. Dahl Memorial Lecture. Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979). 2020 76(1):3-15. PMID: 32475311. PMCID: PMC7448548.