Pediatric Research

Amjad Horani, M.D. horani_a@wustl.edu

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Allergy, Immunology and Pulmonary Medicine

View my lab

Allergy, Immunology and Pulmonary Medicine

phone: (314) 454-2694

Research Interests

Dr. Horani's main research interest focuses on airway epithelial cell pathogensis including primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), a genetic condition that results in impaired mucociliary clearance, causing progressive involvement of the respiratory tract characterized by recurrent infections of the lungs, middle ear, and paranasal sinuses. Dr. Horani is the recipient of multiple scientific awards related to his work in pediatric research. Working alongside members of a multidisciplinary team at Washington University in St. Louis, Dr. Horani's work in the laboratory examines the importance of different genes in the pathogenesis of primary ciliary dyskinesia and studies the function of several proteins in the assembly of motile cilia, a structure known to be defective in PCD.

Education

BSc, with distinction, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1999
MD, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2004

Training

Pediatric Residency, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, 2004 - 2009
Fellowship in Pulmonary Medicine, St. Louis Children's Hospital, 2010 - 2013
Advanced fellowship in Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, St. Louis Children's Hospital, 2013 - 2014

Licensure and Board Certification

2004Israeli Medical License
2009Israeli Board of Pediatrics
2014MO, Missouri Medical License
2015Israeli Board of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine

Honors and Awards

Excellent clinical Teacher, Department of Pediatrics, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center., 2005
Excellent clinical Teacher, Department of Pediatrics, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center., 2006
Dr. BOYKES Honorary award for excellent Pediatric Research, Israeli Association of Clinical Pediatrics, 2007
Young Clinician Award, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, 2008
Dr. DIMSON Honorary Faculty award for excellent Pediatric Research, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Faculty of Medicine, 2008
Best fellows abstract, pediatric research retreat, Washington University in St. Louis, 2012
Martin K. and Jill F. Sneider Endowed Fellowship Award, 2013
Annual ATS Assembly on Pediatrics Scientific Award, 2013
The Japanese Respiratory Society International Session Award, 2014
Gordon conference Abstract Award, 2015

Selected Publications view all (35)

Publication Co-Authors

Todd Druley, M.D., Ph.D.

Joshua Blatter, M.D., M.P.H.

Jessica Pittman, M.D., M.P.H.

Cadence Kuklinski, D.O.

David W. Piston, PhD

Thomas Ferkol, M.D.

Maleewan Kitcharoensakkul, MD, MSCI

1.	Horani A, Ferkol TW. Primary ciliary dyskinesia and associated sensory ciliopathies. Expert Rev Respir Med. 2016;10(5):569-76. doi:10.1586/17476348.2016.1165612 PMCID:PMC4893162 PMID:26967669
2.	Horani A, Ferkol TW, Dutcher SK, Brody SL. Genetics and biology of primary ciliary dyskinesia. Paediatr Respir Rev. 2015. doi:10.1016/j.prrv.2015.09.001 PMID:26476603
3.	Horani A, Brody SL, Ferkol TW. Picking up speed: advances in the genetics of primary ciliary dyskinesia. Pediatr Res. 2014;75(1-2):158-64. doi:10.1038/pr.2013.200 PMCID:PMC3946436 PMID:24192704
4.	Ghadially H, Horani A, Glasner A, Elboim M, Gazit R, Shoseyov D, Mandelboim O. NKp46 regulates allergic responses. Eur J Immunol. 2013;43(11):3006-16. doi:10.1002/eji.201343388 PMCID:PMC3867659 PMID:23878025
5.	Horani A, Nath A, Wasserman MG, Huang T, Brody SL. Rho-associated protein kinase inhibition enhances airway epithelial Basal-cell proliferation and lentivirus transduction. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2013;49(3):341-7. doi:10.1165/rcmb.2013-0046TE PMCID:PMC3824057 PMID:23713995
6.	Horani A, Dickinson JD, Brody SL. Applications of mouse airway epithelial cell culture for asthma research. Methods Mol Biol. 2013;1032:91-107. doi:10.1007/978-1-62703-496-8_7 PMID:23943446
7.	Horani A, Brody SL, Ferkol TW, Shoseyov D, Wasserman MG, Ta-shma A, Wilson KS, Bayly PV, Amirav I, Cohen-Cymberknoh M, Dutcher SK, Elpeleg O, Kerem E. CCDC65 mutation causes primary ciliary dyskinesia with normal ultrastructure and hyperkinetic cilia. PLoS One. 2013;8(8):e72299. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0072299 PMCID:PMC3753302 PMID:23991085
8.	Horani A, Ferkol TW, Shoseyov D, Wasserman MG, Oren YS, Kerem B, Amirav I, Cohen-Cymberknoh M, Dutcher SK, Brody SL, Elpeleg O, Kerem E. LRRC6 mutation causes primary ciliary dyskinesia with dynein arm defects. PLoS One. 2013;8(3):e59436. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0059436 PMCID:PMC3602302 PMID:23527195
9.	Horani A, Druley TE, Zariwala MA, Patel AC, Levinson BT, Van Arendonk LG, Thornton KC, Giacalone JC, Albee AJ, Wilson KS, Turner EH, Nickerson DA, Shendure J, Bayly PV, Leigh MW, Knowles MR, Brody SL, Dutcher SK, Ferkol TW. Whole-exome capture and sequencing identifies HEATR2 mutation as a cause of primary ciliary dyskinesia. Am J Hum Genet. 2012;91(4):685-93. doi:10.1016/j.ajhg.2012.08.022 PMCID:PMC3484505 PMID:23040496
10.	Horani A, Shoseyov D, Ginsburg I, Mruwat R, Doron S, Amer J, Safadi R. Triphala (PADMA) extract alleviates bronchial hyperreactivity in a mouse model through liver and spleen immune modulation and increased anti-oxidative effects. Ther Adv Respir Dis. 2012;6(4):199-210. doi:10.1177/1753465812452194 PMID:22763675

1.	Moore PE, Boyer D, Perkins R, Katz ES, Castro-Codesal ML, MacLean JE, Akil N, Esther CR Jr, Kaslow J, Lewis TC, Krone KA, Quizon A, Simpson R, Benscoter D, Spielberg DR, Melicoff E, Kuklinski CA, Blatter JA, Dy J, Rettig JS, Horani A, Gross J. American Thoracic Society 2019 Pediatric Core Curriculum. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2019. PMID:31456278
2.	Horani A, Brody SL. Frequenting Sequencing: How Genetics Teaches us Cilia Biology. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2019. PMID:30951371
3.	Leigh MW, Horani A, Kinghorn B, O'Connor MG, Zariwala MA, Knowles MR. Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD): A genetic disorder of motile cilia. Transl Sci Rare Dis. 2019;4(1-2):51-75. PMCID:PMC6768089 PMID:31572664
4.	Huizar RL, Lee C, Boulgakov AA, Horani A, Tu F, Marcotte EM, Brody SL, Wallingford JB. A liquid-like organelle at the root of motile ciliopathy. Elife. 2018;7. PMCID:PMC6349401 PMID:30561330
5.	Horani A, Ferkol TW. Advances in the Genetics of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia: Clinical Implications. Chest. 2018. PMID:29800551
6.	Horani A, Ustione A, Huang T, Firth AL, Pan J, Gunsten SP, Haspel JA, Piston DW, Brody SL. Establishment of the early cilia preassembly protein complex during motile ciliogenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018;115(6):E1221-E1228. PMCID:PMC5819421 PMID:29358401
7.	Moore PE, Poston JT, Boyer D, Barsky E, Gaffin J, Boyne KB, Ross KR, Mann Dosier LB, Vece TJ, Casey AM, Welsh SK, Logan JW, Shepherd EG, Phinzy PA, Panitch HB, Papantonakis CM, Austin ED, Orandi AB, Kitcharoensakkul M, Abe MK, Horani A, Rettig JS, Pittman J. ATS Core Curriculum 2017: Part II. Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2017;14(Supplement_2):S165-S181. PMID:28857623
8.	Horani A, Ferkol TW. Primary ciliary dyskinesia and associated sensory ciliopathies. Expert Rev Respir Med. 2016;10(5):569-76. doi:10.1586/17476348.2016.1165612 PMCID:PMC4893162 PMID:26967669
9.	Horani A, Ferkol TW, Dutcher SK, Brody SL. Genetics and biology of primary ciliary dyskinesia. Paediatr Respir Rev. 2015. doi:10.1016/j.prrv.2015.09.001 PMID:26476603
10.	Horani A, Brody SL, Ferkol TW. Response to Snijders et al. Pediatr Res. 2014;76(3):322. PMID:24933009
11.	Horani A, Brody SL, Ferkol TW. Picking up speed: advances in the genetics of primary ciliary dyskinesia. Pediatr Res. 2014;75(1-2):158-64. doi:10.1038/pr.2013.200 PMCID:PMC3946436 PMID:24192704
12.	Ghadially H, Horani A, Glasner A, Elboim M, Gazit R, Shoseyov D, Mandelboim O. NKp46 regulates allergic responses. Eur J Immunol. 2013;43(11):3006-16. doi:10.1002/eji.201343388 PMCID:PMC3867659 PMID:23878025
13.	Horani A, Nath A, Wasserman MG, Huang T, Brody SL. Rho-associated protein kinase inhibition enhances airway epithelial Basal-cell proliferation and lentivirus transduction. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2013;49(3):341-7. doi:10.1165/rcmb.2013-0046TE PMCID:PMC3824057 PMID:23713995
14.	Horani A, Dickinson JD, Brody SL. Applications of mouse airway epithelial cell culture for asthma research. Methods Mol Biol. 2013;1032:91-107. doi:10.1007/978-1-62703-496-8_7 PMID:23943446
15.	Horani A, Brody SL, Ferkol TW, Shoseyov D, Wasserman MG, Ta-shma A, Wilson KS, Bayly PV, Amirav I, Cohen-Cymberknoh M, Dutcher SK, Elpeleg O, Kerem E. CCDC65 mutation causes primary ciliary dyskinesia with normal ultrastructure and hyperkinetic cilia. PLoS One. 2013;8(8):e72299. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0072299 PMCID:PMC3753302 PMID:23991085
16.	Horani A, Ferkol TW, Shoseyov D, Wasserman MG, Oren YS, Kerem B, Amirav I, Cohen-Cymberknoh M, Dutcher SK, Brody SL, Elpeleg O, Kerem E. LRRC6 mutation causes primary ciliary dyskinesia with dynein arm defects. PLoS One. 2013;8(3):e59436. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0059436 PMCID:PMC3602302 PMID:23527195
17.	Horani A, Druley TE, Zariwala MA, Patel AC, Levinson BT, Van Arendonk LG, Thornton KC, Giacalone JC, Albee AJ, Wilson KS, Turner EH, Nickerson DA, Shendure J, Bayly PV, Leigh MW, Knowles MR, Brody SL, Dutcher SK, Ferkol TW. Whole-exome capture and sequencing identifies HEATR2 mutation as a cause of primary ciliary dyskinesia. Am J Hum Genet. 2012;91(4):685-93. doi:10.1016/j.ajhg.2012.08.022 PMCID:PMC3484505 PMID:23040496
18.	Horani A, Shoseyov D, Ginsburg I, Mruwat R, Doron S, Amer J, Safadi R. Triphala (PADMA) extract alleviates bronchial hyperreactivity in a mouse model through liver and spleen immune modulation and increased anti-oxidative effects. Ther Adv Respir Dis. 2012;6(4):199-210. doi:10.1177/1753465812452194 PMID:22763675
19.	Jain R, Javidan-Nejad C, Alexander-Brett J, Horani A, Cabellon MC, Walter MJ, Brody SL. Sensory functions of motile cilia and implication for bronchiectasis. Front Biosci (Schol Ed). 2012;4:1088-98. PMCID:PMC3841983 PMID:22202111
20.	Horani A, Shoseyov D, Doron S, Mruwat R, Amer J, Kerem E, Safadi R. Immune modulation of ovalbumin-induced lung injury in mice using β-glucosylceramide and a potential role of the liver. Immunobiology. 2011;216(5):548-57. doi:10.1016/j.imbio.2010.10.002 PMID:21074892
21.	Ginsburg I, Koren E, Horani A, Mahamid M, Doron S, Muhanna N, Amer J, Safadi R. Amelioration of hepatic fibrosis via Padma Hepaten is associated with altered natural killer T lymphocytes. Clin Exp Immunol. 2009;157(1):155-64. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2249.2009.03936.x PMCID:PMC2710603 PMID:19659781
22.	Orlev A, Horani A, Rapson Y, Cohen MJ, Blumenthal EZ. Clinical characteristics of eyes demonstrating atypical patterns in scanning laser polarimetry. Eye (Lond). 2008;22(11):1378-83. doi:10.1038/sj.eye.6702897 PMID:17627289
23.	Muhanna N, Doron S, Wald O, Horani A, Eid A, Pappo O, Friedman SL, Safadi R. Activation of hepatic stellate cells after phagocytosis of lymphocytes: A novel pathway of fibrogenesis. Hepatology. 2008;48(3):963-77. doi:10.1002/hep.22413 PMCID:PMC2880478 PMID:18726940
24.	Higazi AA, El-Haj M, Melhem A, Horani A, Pappo O, Alvarez CE, Muhanna N, Friedman SL, Safadi R. Immunomodulatory effects of plasminogen activators on hepatic fibrogenesis. Clin Exp Immunol. 2008;152(1):163-73. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2249.2008.03606.x PMCID:PMC2384070 PMID:18279442
25.	Muhanna N, Horani A, Doron S, Safadi R. Lymphocyte-hepatic stellate cell proximity suggests a direct interaction. Clin Exp Immunol. 2007;148(2):338-47. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2249.2007.03353.x PMCID:PMC1868876 PMID:17437422
26.	Horani A, Muhanna N, Pappo O, Melhem A, Alvarez CE, Doron S, Wehbi W, Dimitrios K, Friedman SL, Safadi R. Beneficial effect of glatiramer acetate (Copaxone) on immune modulation of experimental hepatic fibrosis. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2007;292(2):G628-38. doi:10.1152/ajpgi.00137.2006 PMID:17038628
27.	Horani A, Frenkel S, Blumenthal EZ. Test-retest variability in visual field testing using frequency doubling technology. Eur J Ophthalmol. 2007;17(2):203-7. PMID:17415693
28.	Melhem A, Muhanna N, Bishara A, Alvarez CE, Ilan Y, Bishara T, Horani A, Nassar M, Friedman SL, Safadi R. Anti-fibrotic activity of NK cells in experimental liver injury through killing of activated HSC. J Hepatol. 2006;45(1):60-71. doi:10.1016/j.jhep.2005.12.025 PMID:16515819
29.	Blumenthal EZ, Horani A, Sasikumar R, Garudadri C, Udaykumar A, Thomas R. Correlating structure with function in end-stage glaucoma. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging. 2006;37(3):218-23. PMID:16749258
30.	Frenkel S, Katz S, Horani A, Kaiserman I, Asleh SA, Blumenthal EZ. Estimating intraocular pressure using a glass rod. Ann Ophthalmol (Skokie). 2006;38(3):195-9. PMID:17416953
31.	Horani A, Frenkel S, Blumenthal EZ. The effect of pupil dilation on scanning laser polarimetry with variable corneal compensation. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging. 2006;37(3):212-6. PMID:16749257
32.	Frenkel S, Slonim E, Horani A, Molcho M, Barzel I, Blumenthal EZ. Operator learning effect and interoperator reproducibility of the scanning laser polarimeter with variable corneal compensation. Ophthalmology. 2005;112(2):257-61. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2004.08.013 PMID:15691560
33.	Horani A, Ulitsky J, Kalish Y, Safadi R. Hodgkin's disease in pregnancy. Isr Med Assoc J. 2004;6(8):502-3. PMID:15326837
34.	Blumenthal EZ, Haddad A, Horani A, Anteby I. The reliability of frequency-doubling perimetry in young children. Ophthalmology. 2004;111(3):435-9. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2003.06.018 PMID:15019315
35.	Horani A, Frenkel S, Yahalom C, Farber MD, Ticho U, Blumenthal EZ. The learning effect in visual field testing of healthy subjects using frequency doubling technology. J Glaucoma. 2002;11(6):511-6. PMID:12483097