About the Reddy Lab

Lipid Metabolism, Inflammation, and Therapeutic Discovery

The Reddy Laboratory at UCLA investigates the molecular mechanisms of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and their role in inflammatory diseases. 

Our work spans basic science to translational therapeutics, with the goal of identifying novel diagnostic and treatment strategies for conditions including Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), Crohn's Disease, Cardiovascular Diseases, Sepsis, and Cancer.

Our current research focuses on three major areas: the anti-inflammatory role of COX-2 in intestinal inflammation, the function of Paraoxonase proteins (PON1, PON2, PON3) in protecting against oxidative stress and AMD, and the development of multifunctional HDL-mimetic peptides as anti-inflammatory therapeutics.

The lab is led by Dr. Srinivasa T. Reddy, Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Molecular & Medical Pharmacology, and Faculty in Cardiology at UCLA.

Research Overview

Core research themes based on recent publications

Lipid Metabolism and Inflammation

HDL - apoA-1 - PON proteins

Cardiovascular Disease
  • Atherosclerosis and vascular disease
  • Lipoprotein metabolism in CVD
  • Endothelial dysfunction 
  • Adhesion molecules and inflammation

Curr Opin Lipidol 2025

Arthritis Res Ther 2025

Sepsis and Inflammation
  • Lipoprotein dysregulation 
  • Sepsis subphenotypes 
  • Drug repurposing via molecular subtypes

Shock 2025

bioRxiv 2026

Therapeutic Development
  • ApoA-1 mimetic peptides (4F, 6F)
  • HDL nanoparticle formulations 
  • Anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory 
  • Drug repurposing via ML subtypes 

Semin Cancer Biol 2025

Gut Microbiome Axis
  • Intestine → atherosclerosis pathway
  • Tryptophan / IDO1 / kynurenine 
  • Gut microbiome dysbiosis 
  • Gut-liver axis signalling 

Curr Opin Lipidol 2025

Mol Cell Endocrinol 2025

Cancer
  • Colitis-associated cancer 
  • PGE2 / Akt pathway 
  • ApoA-1 mimetics as anti-tumor agents

Cell Mol GI 2025 

Semin Cancer Biol 2025

Environmental Toxicology
  • PM 2.5 → gut dysbiosis and atherosclerosis 
  • Photoaged microplastics → damage
  • Air pollution and liver ER stress 
  • Vascular endothelial injury

Environ Int 2026 

bioRxiv 2026

Research Methods and Toolkit

Experimental approaches across the translational spectrum

Metabolomics and Analytical Tools

LC-MS/MS | Mass Spectrometry | Coenzyme Q | PON1 assays

In Vitro 

Cell and molecular biology

  • Macrophage cell culture 
  • Endothelial cell models
  • Lipid uptake assays 
  • ROS / oxidative stress 
  • Cytokine profiling 
  • Gene expression (PCR) 
  • Flow cytometry 
  • Immunofluorescence 
  • Western blotting

In Vivo 

Pre-clinical animal models 

  • Ldlr-/- mouse models 

  • ApoE-/- mouse models 

  • High-fat / high-cholesterol diet 

  • Air pollution / PM2.5 exposure 

  • Microplastic exposure models 

  • Atherosclerosis quantification 

  • Gut permeability assays 

  • Tissue histology / imaging 

  • Microbiome 16S sequencing

Metabolics and Omics 

Analytical and computational 

  • LC-MS/MS lipidomics
  • Coenzyme Q9/Q10 quantification 
  • Sphingolipid profiling 
  • Paraoxonase-1 (PON1) assays 
  • Transcriptomics / RNA-seq 
  • Clinical data integration 
  • Machine learning / AI subtypes 
  • Biomarker validation
  • Multi-omics data analysis 

Diseases We Work to Prevent and Treat

Research with direct patient impact across five major disease areas 

Heart Disease

Atherosclerosis | Lipoprotein metabolism | Endothelial function | Myocardial infarction 

IBD / Crohn's

Gut inflammation | Microbiome dysbiosis | Intestinal barrier | Tryptophan metabolism 

Cancer

Colon / GI cancer | Lung / ovarian cancer | ApoA-1 mimetics | PGE2 / COX-2 pathway 

Sepsis

Critical care | Lipoprotein subphenotypes | Drug repurposing via ML | Biomarker identification 

Environmental Disease

Air pollution (PM 2.5) | Microplastic exposure | Vascular damage | Liver ER stress