Ibrahim Lab
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanosize lipid-bilayer particles that are secreted by every cell type, from prokaryotes to eukaryotes. Cells secrete EVs to transmit information and mediate change in nearby cells or to distant tissue. EVs contain a diversity of signals, from bioactive proteins, lipids and RNA.
The overarching thesis of the lab's work began in 2010 when Ahmed Ibrahim, PhD, and his thesis mentor, Eduardo Marbán, MD, PhD, discovered that cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs)—a clinically-demonstrated cardiac tissue reparative cell type—exerted therapeutic effects through the secretion of EVs. Since then, the lab's work has radiated into several areas of study, including mechanistic investigation and therapeutic development.
Work in the Ibrahim Laboratory is discovery-minded, collaborative and team-based. We work with fellow groups at the Smidt Heart Institute as well as with other groups at UCLA and around the country.
Our research focuses on understanding the contents of extracellular vesicles (EVs), especially small non-coding RNA, and signaling to develop engineered EVs and create therapeutic applications. Major discoveries in the Ibrahim Laboratory have led to engineered EV therapies for cardiac tissue repair as well as identifying a possible new treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Meet Our Team
Learn more about the scientists, faculty members, investigators and other healthcare professionals of the Ibrahim Laboratory, whose dedicated efforts lead to groundbreaking discoveries.
Ibrahim AG, Ciullo A, Li C, Garcia G, Peck K, Miyamoto K, Arumugaswami V, Marbán E.
Biomater Biosyst. 2022 Jun;6:100042.
Ciullo A, Li C, Li L, Ungerleider KC, Peck K, Marbán E, Ibrahim AGE.
J Extracell Vesicles. 2022 Jan;11(1):e12178.
Peck KA, Ciullo A, Li L, Li C, Morris A, Marbán E, Ibrahim AG.
Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021 Oct 22;9:733354.
Ibrahim AGE, Li C, Rogers R, Fournier M, Li L, Vaturi SD, Antes T, Sanchez L, Akhmerov A, Moseley JJ, Tobin B, Rodriguez-Borlado L, Smith RR, Marbán L, Marbán E.
Nat Biomed Eng. 2019 Sep;3(9):695-705.