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Medha Pathak

Photo of Medha Pathak
Title(s)Associate Professor, Physiology and Biophysics
SchoolSchool of Medicine
Address2200 Gross Hall
845 Health Sciences Road
Irvine CA 92697
Phone(949) 824-6623
ORCID ORCID Icon0000-0002-6518-3085 Additional info
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    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse education and training
    Harvard Medical SchoolPostdoc2010Neurobiology
    UC BerkeleyPh.D.2006Biophysics
    National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, IndiaM.S.2000Neuroscience
    St. Xavier's College, Ahmedabad, IndiaB.S.1996Biochemistry
    Collapse awards and honors
    Biophysical Society20222022 Early Investigator Award, Mechanobiology Subgroup
    UCI School of Medicine2022Honorable Mention, Outstanding Early-Career Faculty Research Award (Basic Science)
    Howard Hughes Medical Institution2019Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study
    UCI2018Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research
    NIH2018Director's New Innovator Award
    UCI2018ADVANCE Faculty Career Development Award
    Journal of General Physiology2017Junior Faculty Fellow
    FASEB Ion Channel Regulation Conference2015GSK Neuroscience Discovery Award
    Helen Hay Whitney 2008  - 2011Postdoctoral Fellowship

    Collapse Research 
    Collapse research activities and funding
    Cooperative Modulation of Piezo Channels
    NIH R01HL179692Jul 21, 2025 - Apr 30, 2029
    Role: Co-Principal Investigator
    Force-Based Manipulations Research Network
    NIH U24AT011969Apr 20, 2022 - Mar 31, 2027
    Role: Co-Investigator
    Biophysical regulation of macrophage function
    NIH R01AI151301Sep 22, 2020 - Aug 31, 2025
    Role: Co-Investigator
    Functional dynamics of Piezo1 and Traction Forces in Tissue Repair
    HHMI Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Studies GT11549Sep 1, 2019 - Aug 31, 2022
    Building the brain: How mechanical forces shape human neural development
    NIH DP2AT010376Sep 30, 2018 - Jun 30, 2023
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Piezo1 in neural stem cell mechano-regulation
    NIH R01NS109810Sep 30, 2018 - Jun 30, 2023
    Role: Principal Investigator
    MechBio 2018: The Mechanome in Action
    NIH R13GM130052Jul 25, 2018 - Jul 24, 2020
    Role: Principal Investigator
    MechBio 2018: The Mechanome in Action
    NSF 1832921Jul 1, 2018 - Jun 30, 2024
    Role: Principal Investigator

    Collapse Featured Content 

    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Researchers can login to make corrections and additions, or contact us for help. to make corrections and additions.
    Newest   |   Oldest   |   Most Cited   |   Most Discussed   |   Timeline   |   Field Summary   |   Plain Text
    Altmetrics Details PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. A multimodal adaptive optical microscope for in vivo imaging from molecules to organisms. Nat Methods. 2026 Jun; 23(6):1184-1195. Fu TM, Liu G, Milkie DE, Ruan X, Görlitz F, Shi Y, Ferro V, Divekar NS, Wang W, York HM, Kilic V, Mueller M, Liang Y, Daugird TA, Gacha-Garay MJ, Larkin KA, Adikes RC, Harrison N, Shirazinejad C, Williams S, Nourse JL, Sheu SH, Gao L, Li T, Mondal C, Achour K, Hercule W, Stabley DR, Emmerich K, Dong P, Drubin DG, Liu ZJ, Mumm JS, Koyama M, Killilea AN, Bravo-Cordero JJ, Keene CD, Luo L, Kirchhausen T, Pathak MM, Arumugam S, Nuñez JK, Gao R, Matus DQ, Martin BL, Swinburne IA, Betzig E, Legant WR, Upadhyayula S. PMID: 42174242.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    
    2. Visualizing PIEZO1 localization and activity in hiPSC-derived single cells and organoids with HaloTag technology. Nat Commun. 2025 Jul 01; 16(1):5556. Bertaccini GA, Casanellas I, Evans EL, Nourse JL, Dickinson GD, Liu G, Seal S, Ly AT, Holt JR, Wijerathne TD, Yan S, Hui EE, Lacroix JJ, Panicker MM, Upadhyayula S, Parker I, Pathak MM. PMID: 40593468; PMCID: PMC12217361.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 5     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    3. A Multimodal Adaptive Optical Microscope For In Vivo Imaging from Molecules to Organisms. bioRxiv. 2025 Jun 03. Fu TM, Liu G, Milkie DE, Ruan X, Görlitz F, Shi Y, Ferro V, Divekar NS, Wang W, York HM, Kilic V, Mueller M, Liang Y, Daugird TA, Gacha-Garay MJ, Larkin KA, Adikes RC, Harrison N, Shirazinejad C, Williams S, Nourse JL, Sheu SH, Gao L, Li T, Mondal C, Achour K, Hercule W, Stabley D, Emmerich K, Dong P, Drubin D, Liu ZJ, Clapham D, Mumm JS, Koyama M, Killilea A, Bravo-Cordero JJ, Keene CD, Luo L, Kirchhausen T, Pathak MM, Arumugam S, Nunez JK, Gao R, Matus DQ, Martin BL, Swinburne IA, Betzig E, Legant WR, Upadhyayula S. PMID: 40661351; PMCID: PMC12259214.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    4. Visualizing PIEZO1 Localization and Activity in hiPSC-Derived Single Cells and Organoids with HaloTag Technology. bioRxiv. 2025 Jan 25. Bertaccini GA, Casanellas I, Evans EL, Nourse JL, Dickinson GD, Liu G, Seal S, Ly AT, Holt JR, Wijerathne TD, Yan S, Hui EE, Lacroix JJ, Panicker MM, Upadhyayula S, Parker I, Pathak MM. PMID: 38187535; PMCID: PMC10769387.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    5. Single-particle tracking reveals heterogeneous PIEZO1 diffusion. Biophys J. 2025 Dec 16; 124(24):4457-4470. Ly AT, Freites JA, Bertaccini GA, Evans EL, Dickinson GD, Tobias DJ, Pathak MM. PMID: 39844465; PMCID: PMC12820997.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 4     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    6. Piezo1-mediated mechanotransduction enhances macrophage oxidized low-density lipoprotein uptake and atherogenesis. PNAS Nexus. 2024 Nov; 3(11):pgae436. Atcha H, Kulkarni D, Meli VS, Veerasubramanian PK, Wang Y, Cahalan MD, Pathak MM, Liu WF. PMID: 39544498; PMCID: PMC11563038.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2  
    7. Piezo1-mediated mechanotransduction enhances macrophage oxLDL uptake and atherogenesis. 2024; pgae436. Hamza Atcha, Daanish Kulkarni, Vijaykumar S Meli, Praveen Krishna Veerasubramanian, Yuchun Wang, Michael D Cahalan, Medha M Pathak, Wendy F Liu. View Publication.
    8. Single-particle tracking reveals heterogeneous PIEZO1 diffusion. 2024. Alan T. Ly, J. Alfredo Freites, Gabriella A. Bertaccini, Elizabeth L. Evans, George D. Dickinson, Douglas J. Tobias, Medha M. Pathak. . View Publication.
    9. PIEZO1 regulates leader cell formation and cellular coordination during collective keratinocyte migration. PLoS Comput Biol. 2024 Apr; 20(4):e1011855. Chen J, Holt JR, Evans EL, Lowengrub JS, Pathak MM. PMID: 38578817; PMCID: PMC11023636.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 7     Fields:    Translation:Cells
    10. Author Correction: Membrane curvature governs the distribution of Piezo1 in live cells. Nat Commun. 2023 Jan 31; 14(1):524. Yang S, Miao X, Arnold S, Li B, Ly AT, Wang H, Wang M, Guo X, Pathak MM, Zhao W, Cox CD, Shi Z. PMID: 36720871; PMCID: PMC9889709.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    
    11. Piezo1 regulates cholesterol biosynthesis to influence neural stem cell fate during brain development. J Gen Physiol. 2022 10 03; 154(10). Nourse JL, Leung VM, Abuwarda H, Evans EL, Izquierdo-Ortiz E, Ly AT, Truong N, Smith S, Bhavsar H, Bertaccini G, Monuki ES, Panicker MM, Pathak MM. PMID: 36069933; PMCID: PMC9458470.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 26     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    12. Correction: Spatiotemporal dynamics of PIEZO1 localization controls keratinocyte migration during wound healing. Elife. 2022 Apr 01; 11. Holt JR, Zeng WZ, Evans EL, Woo SH, Ma S, Abuwarda H, Loud M, Patapoutian A, Pathak MM. PMID: 35362412; PMCID: PMC8975547.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    
    13. Crosstalk Between CD11b and Piezo1 Mediates Macrophage Responses to Mechanical Cues. Front Immunol. 2021; 12:689397. Atcha H, Meli VS, Davis CT, Brumm KT, Anis S, Chin J, Jiang K, Pathak MM, Liu WF. PMID: 34630381; PMCID: PMC8493066.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 41     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    14. Ion channel mediated mechanotransduction in immune cells. Curr Opin Solid State Mater Sci. 2021 Dec; 25(6). Hamza A, Amit J, Elizabeth L E, Medha M P, Michael D C, Wendy F L. PMID: 35645593; PMCID: PMC9131931.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 17  
    15. Piezo1 channels restrain regulatory T cells but are dispensable for effector CD4+ T cell responses. Sci Adv. 2021 07; 7(28). Jairaman A, Othy S, Dynes JL, Yeromin AV, Zavala A, Greenberg ML, Nourse JL, Holt JR, Cahalan SM, Marangoni F, Parker I, Pathak MM, Cahalan MD. PMID: 34233878; PMCID: PMC8262815.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 61     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    16. Mechanically activated ion channel Piezo1 modulates macrophage polarization and stiffness sensing. Nat Commun. 2021 05 31; 12(1):3256. Atcha H, Jairaman A, Holt JR, Meli VS, Nagalla RR, Veerasubramanian PK, Brumm KT, Lim HE, Othy S, Cahalan MD, Pathak MM, Liu WF. PMID: 34059671; PMCID: PMC8167181.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 274     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    17. Mechanobiology of neural development. Curr Opin Cell Biol. 2020 10; 66:104-111. Abuwarda H, Pathak MM. PMID: 32687993; PMCID: PMC7578076.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 25     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    18. Myosin-II mediated traction forces evoke localized Piezo1-dependent Ca2+ flickers. Commun Biol. 2019; 2:298. Ellefsen KL, Holt JR, Chang AC, Nourse JL, Arulmoli J, Mekhdjian AH, Abuwarda H, Tombola F, Flanagan LA, Dunn AR, Parker I, Pathak MM. PMID: 31396578; PMCID: PMC6685976.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 127  Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    19. Mechanosensitive Ion Channel Piezo1 Regulates Diet-Induced Adipose Inflammation and Systemic Insulin Resistance. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2019; 10:373. Zhao C, Sun Q, Tang L, Cao Y, Nourse JL, Pathak MM, Lu X, Yang Q. PMID: 31263454; PMCID: PMC6584899.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 27     Fields:    
    20. How cells channel their stress: Interplay between Piezo1 and the cytoskeleton. Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2017 11; 71:3-12. Nourse JL, Pathak MM. PMID: 28676421; PMCID: PMC6070642.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 129     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    21. The Hv1 proton channel responds to mechanical stimuli. J Gen Physiol. 2016 11; 148(5):405-418. Pathak MM, Tran T, Hong L, Joós B, Morris CE, Tombola F. PMID: 27799320; PMCID: PMC5089936.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 21     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    22. Combination scaffolds of salmon fibrin, hyaluronic acid, and laminin for human neural stem cell and vascular tissue engineering. Acta Biomater. 2016 10 01; 43:122-138. Arulmoli J, Wright HJ, Phan DTT, Sheth U, Que RA, Botten GA, Keating M, Botvinick EL, Pathak MM, Zarembinski TI, Yanni DS, Razorenova OV, Hughes CCW, Flanagan LA. PMID: 27475528; PMCID: PMC5386322.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 55     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    23. Reflectin as a Material for Neural Stem Cell Growth. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2016 Jan 13; 8(1):278-84. Phan L, Kautz R, Arulmoli J, Kim IH, Le DT, Shenk MA, Pathak MM, Flanagan LA, Tombola F, Gorodetsky AA. PMID: 26703760; PMCID: PMC4721522.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 8     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    24. Static stretch affects neural stem cell differentiation in an extracellular matrix-dependent manner. Sci Rep. 2015 Feb 17; 5:8499. Arulmoli J, Pathak MM, McDonnell LP, Nourse JL, Tombola F, Earthman JC, Flanagan LA. PMID: 25686615; PMCID: PMC4330529.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 48     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    25. Stretch-activated ion channel Piezo1 directs lineage choice in human neural stem cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Nov 11; 111(45):16148-53. Pathak MM, Nourse JL, Tran T, Hwe J, Arulmoli J, Le DT, Bernardis E, Flanagan LA, Tombola F. PMID: 25349416; PMCID: PMC4234578.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 351     Fields:    Translation:HumansCellsCTClinical Trials
    26. Evidence for functional diversity between the voltage-gated proton channel Hv1 and its closest related protein HVRP1. PLoS One. 2014; 9(8):e105926. Kim IH, Hevezi P, Varga C, Pathak MM, Hong L, Ta D, Tran CT, Zlotnik A, Soltesz I, Tombola F. PMID: 25165868; PMCID: PMC4148356.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 12     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    27. Membrane biophysics define neuron and astrocyte progenitors in the neural lineage. Stem Cells. 2014 Mar; 32(3):706-16. Nourse JL, Prieto JL, Dickson AR, Lu J, Pathak MM, Tombola F, Demetriou M, Lee AP, Flanagan LA. PMID: 24105912; PMCID: PMC5367858.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 19     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    28. Voltage-sensing domain of voltage-gated proton channel Hv1 shares mechanism of block with pore domains. Neuron. 2013 Jan 23; 77(2):274-87. Hong L, Pathak MM, Kim IH, Ta D, Tombola F. PMID: 23352164; PMCID: PMC3559007.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 61     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    29. Closing in on the resting state of the Shaker K(+) channel. Neuron. 2007 Oct 04; 56(1):124-40. Pathak MM, Yarov-Yarovoy V, Agarwal G, Roux B, Barth P, Kohout S, Tombola F, Isacoff EY. PMID: 17920020.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 196     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    30. The twisted ion-permeation pathway of a resting voltage-sensing domain. Nature. 2007 Feb 01; 445(7127):546-9. Tombola F, Pathak MM, Gorostiza P, Isacoff EY. PMID: 17187057.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 91     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    31. How does voltage open an ion channel? Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol. 2006; 22:23-52. Tombola F, Pathak MM, Isacoff EY. PMID: 16704338.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 158     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    32. How far will you go to sense voltage? Neuron. 2005 Dec 08; 48(5):719-25. Tombola F, Pathak MM, Isacoff EY. PMID: 16337910.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 37     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    33. Voltage-sensing arginines in a potassium channel permeate and occlude cation-selective pores. Neuron. 2005 Feb 03; 45(3):379-88. Tombola F, Pathak MM, Isacoff EY. PMID: 15694325.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 168     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    34. The cooperative voltage sensor motion that gates a potassium channel. J Gen Physiol. 2005 Jan; 125(1):57-69. Pathak M, Kurtz L, Tombola F, Isacoff E. PMID: 15623895; PMCID: PMC1414780.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 83     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
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