Rodrigo Del Rio, Ph.D.

Professional Background

Rodrigo Del Rio, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, KS. Currently, Dr. Del Rio is appointed as the Director for the Respiratory and Cardiovascular Block for M1 students at the School of Medicine at KUMC and also serves as a Course Director for the Physiology graduate program. Dr. Del Rio have a broad background in physiology, cardiology and neurosciences, with specific training in neural control of cardiorespiratory function. Main research linesare focused on how central sympathetic nervous system (SNS) circuits modulate autonomic, cardiac, and respiratory (dys)function under physiological and pathological conditions, including heart failure, hypertension, sleep apnea and neurodegenerative and genetic rare diseases. Also, Dr. Del Rio have worked on several R&D initiatives in several scientific disciplines, including cardiology, natural products, and neurosciences, aiming to develop novel public and private products/services directed to improve people’s health and quality of life. Dr. Del Rio have directed 10 PhD theses, 4 MS theses and 3 BS thesis and sponsored more than 3 postdoctoral fellows. Dr. Del Rio has published 118 peer-reviewed articles and has been an invited speaker at more than 60 conferences.

• BSc, Biology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
• MSC, Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
• PhD, Physiology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
• Post Doctoral Fellowship, Neural control of autonomic function, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE

• America Heart Association, Member, 2024 - Present
• Missouri Physiological Society, Member, 2024 - Present
• American Autonomic Society, Member, 2023 - Present
• International Society of Arterial Chemoreception, President, 2023 - Present
• International Society of Arterial Chemoreception, President Elect, 2022 - Present
• The American Physiological Society, Member, 2015 - Present
• International Society of Arterial Chemoreception, Member, 2013 - Present

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Research

Overview

Heart failure is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, affecting millions and placing a heavy burden on healthcare systems. Research on heart failure is crucial to understanding its underlying mechanisms, improving diagnosis, and developing innovative treatments. Despite advancements in medical therapy, many patients continue to experience poor quality of life and frequent hospitalizations. Research efforts can help uncover new strategies to prevent heart failure, enhance early intervention, and personalize treatments to reduce disease progression. Additionally, studying heart failure can improve long-term outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and ultimately save lives through more effective management strategies.

Our work has established a critical connection between autonomic dysfunction and disordered breathing in heart failure, shedding light on the complex interplay between cardiovascular and respiratory neural control systems. By exploring the role played by the BRAIN on heart disease, we have demonstrated an enhanced chemoreflex drive in nonischemic heart failure, emphasizing the pivotal role of medullary catecholaminergic C1 neurons in generating irregular breathing patterns in this condition. We haveproposed a novel mechanism explaining cardiorespiratory imbalance in experimental heart disease, mediated by hyper-activation of pre-sympathetic motor neurons in response to synaptic modulation from central neurons involved in breathing regulation. Furthermore, our proposition of a novel mechanism implicating purinergic signaling and ER-stress has provided a deeper understanding of both cardiovascular and breathing function impairment during the progression of heart disease.

In addition to the contributions described above my research encompassed a comprehensive understanding of the carotid body's involvement in pathophysiology. From elucidating mechanisms to introducing innovative therapeutic strategies, these findings have implications for improving the management and outcomes of heart failure, hypertension, sleep apnea and rare genetic diseases such as Prader-Willi Syndrome.

• Heart Failure - Alterations in the neural control of cardiorespiratory function, KUMC, PI, PI

• Diaz-Jara, Esteban . 2024. Superoxide dismutase 2 deficiency is associated with enhanced central chemoreception in mice: Implications for breathing regulation. Redox Biology
• Schwarz, Karla. 2024. Autonomic nervous system dysfunction throughout menopausal transition: A potential mechanism underpinning cardiovascular and cognitive alterations during female ageing. The Journal of Physiology
• Toledo, Camilo. 2022. Cardiorespiratory alterations following intermittent photostimulation of RVLM C1 neurons: Implications for long-term blood pressure, breathing and sleep regulation in freely moving rats.. Acta Physiologica
• Pereyra, K, Las Heras, A, Toledo, C, Díaz-Jara, E, Iturriaga, R, Del Rio, R. 2023. Chemogenetic inhibition of NTS astrocytes normalizes cardiac autonomic control and ameliorate hypertension during chronic intermittent hypoxia.. Biological research, 56 (1), 57
• Toledo, Camilo. 2022. Medullary astrocytes mediate irregular breathing patterns generation in chronic heart failure through purinergic P2X7 receptor signalling. eBiomedicine
• Díaz, H., S, Andrade, D., C, Toledo, C, Schwarz, K., G, Pereyra, K., V, Díaz-Jara, E, Marcus, N., J, Del Rio, R. 2021. Inhibition of Brainstem Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Rescues Cardiorespiratory Dysfunction in High Output Heart Failure.. Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979), 77 (2), 718-728
• Díaz-Jara, E, Díaz, H., S, Rios-Gallardo, A, Ortolani, D, Andrade, D., C, Toledo, C, Pereyra, K., V, Schwarz, K, Ramirez, G, Ortiz, F., C, Andía, M., E, Del Rio, R. 2021. Exercise training reduces brainstem oxidative stress and restores normal breathing function in heart failure.. Free radical biology & medicine, 172, 470-481
• Toledo, C, Andrade, D., C, Diaz-Jara, E, Ortolani, D, Bernal-Santander, I, Schwarz, K., G, Ortiz, F., C, Marcus, N., J, Oliveira, L., M, Takakura, A., C, Moreira, T., S, Del Rio, R. 2022. Cardiorespiratory alterations following intermittent photostimulation of RVLM C1 neurons: Implications for long-term blood pressure, breathing and sleep regulation in freely moving rats.. Acta physiologica (Oxford, England), 236 (3), e13864
• Andrade, D., C, Díaz-Jara, E, Toledo, C, Schwarz, K., G, Pereyra, K., V, Díaz, H., S, Marcus, N., J, Ortiz, F., C, Ríos-Gallardo, A., P, Ortolani, D, Del Rio, R. 2021. Exercise intolerance in volume overload heart failure is associated with low carotid body mediated chemoreflex drive.. Scientific reports, 11 (1), 14458
• Andrade, D., C, Toledo, C, Díaz, H., S, Lucero, C, Arce-Álvarez, A, Oliveira, L., M, Takakura, A., C, Moreira, T., S, Schultz, H., D, Marcus, N., J, Alcayaga, J, Del Rio, R. 2019. Ablation of brainstem C1 neurons improves cardiac function in volume overload heart failure.. Clinical science (London, England : 1979), 133 (3), 393-405