Research Information
Research Interests
Feriel’s research with the Rajagopalan Lab investigates the impact of environmental exposures - such as wildfires and air pollution on complex health problems by merging clinical and geospatial data, to create predictive models and conduct survival analysis. Her past basic science career at the University of Michigan involved in vitro and in vivo experimental models in two areas:
- studying biomarkers of inflammation, focusing on the soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) as a predictor of clinical outcomes in cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and COVID‑19; and
- the cellular metabolism of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and potential drug targets and mechanisms for the prevention or amelioration of non-exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Awards and Honors
Publications
Feriel has co‑authored multiple peer‑reviewed manuscripts in high‑impact journals, including publications on suPAR, cardiovascular outcomes, COVID‑19 prognostic markers, and basic mechanisms in age‑related macular degeneration (Nature Communications, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Aging) and presented her findings at several national conferences (American College of Cardiology, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology).
Evolution of care and outcomes across surges in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019
PJ O'Hayer, A Vasbinder, E Anderson, T Catalan, B Bitterman, I Khaleel, ...
The American Journal of Medicine 136 (1), 63-71. e1
Increased soluble urokinase plasminogen activator levels modulate monocyte function to promote atherosclerosis
G Hindy, DJ Tyrrell, A Vasbinder, C Wei, F Presswalla, H Wang, P Blakely, ...
The Journal of clinical investigation 132 (24)
Q Zhang, F Presswalla, RR Ali, DN Zacks, DA Thompson, JML Miller
Aging (Albany NY) 13 (8), 10866
Development of a Gene Therapy Vector for RDH12-Associated Retinal Dystrophy
KL Feathers, L Jia, ND Perera, A Chen, FK Presswalla, NW Khan, ...
Human Gene Therapy 30 (11), 1325-1335
A platform for assessing outer segment fate in primary human fetal RPE cultures
Q Zhang, F Presswalla, K Feathers, X Cao, BA Hughes, DN Zacks, ...
Experimental eye research 178, 212-222
(Note: For a complete list, please see Feriel Presswalla's Google Scholar or ORCID profile)
Education
Additional Information
Professional and Service Activities
Feriel serves/d as the Scholarship Chair (and previously, as Secretary) of the Henderson House Board of Governors, represents the Clinical and Translational Science PhD program in the Biomedical Graduate Student Organization, and holds leadership roles in graduate housing and alumnae networks. She has engaged in initiatives to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in academic medicine.