Ashira Blazer, MD, MS
Ashira Blazer, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology
NYU School of Medicine
Dr. Blazer is an Assistant Professor in the New York University School of Medicine Division of Rheumatology. Her interests are in studying the biologic and genetic determinants of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) severity in patients of African ancestry. Her current translational research project focuses on polymorphisms in the Apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) gene, which are exceptionally common in those of West African heritage as they confer protection against African trypanosomiasis. APOL1, a major contributor to excess renal and cardiovascular risk in the African diaspora, is responsive to inflammatory signals and may be of heightened consequence in chronic inflammatory disease sufferers such as SLE patients. She has forged multiple international collaborations with rheumatology programs in West Africa, and through this work has preliminarily shown that APOL1 variant carriers with SLE experience accelerated kidney and cardiovascular injury, and ultimately mortality. Further, beyond the clinical associations, Dr. Blazer is studying the mechanisms underpinning genetic toxicity through cultivating novel primary cell culture models. She has shown that metabolic disturbances in both endothelial and inflammatory cells render the candidate tissues vulnerable to chronic inflammatory stress. These data have furnished several funded grant awards through the Rheumatology Research Foundation, Colton Center for Autoimmunity, and National Institutes of Health. By studying the interplay between chronic inflammation, cellular function, and APOL1 gene expression, Dr. Blazer aims to provide personalized treatment options to vulnerable ancestrally African patients.