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Alem W Kahsai

Assistant Professor in Medicine
Medicine, Cardiology

Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations


Assistant Professor in Medicine · 2021 - Present Medicine, Cardiology, Medicine

Recent Scholarly Works


Small-molecule modulation of β-arrestins.

Journal article Nature · August 2026 β-Arrestins are multifunctional regulators of G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signalling and orchestrate diverse downstream signalling events and physiological responses across the GPCR superfamily1-3. Although GPCR pharmacology has advanced to target or ... Full text Link to item Cite

Structure-guided discovery of non-catechol dopamine D1 receptor ligands with biased agonism and antagonism.

Journal article J Biol Chem · June 2026 The catechol L-DOPA, a cornerstone of Parkinson's disease (PD) treatment, has two major drawbacks: poor pharmacokinetics and, more significantly, debilitating dyskinesias from chronic dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) activation. Preclinical rodent studies sugges ... Full text Link to item Cite

Targeting the host factor HGS-viral membrane protein interaction in coronavirus infection.

Journal article J Clin Invest · March 2, 2026 While current antivirals primarily target viral proteins, host-directed strategies remain underexplored. Here, we performed a genome-wide CRISPR inhibition (CRISPRi) screening to identify the host protein, hepatocyte growth factor-regulated tyrosine kinase ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


The GPCR Collaborative: Revealing the molecular determinants and fidelity of GPCR signaling in health and disease

ResearchAssistant Research Professor · Awarded by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital · 2023 - 2028

Structural and Mechanistic Basis of ss-arrestin2 Signaling Through the MAPK JNK3

FellowshipCollaborating Investigator · Awarded by American Heart Association · 2026 - 2027

Mechanisms of Maladaptation in Heart Failure

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute · 1996 - 2027

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Education


University of Connecticut · 2008 Ph.D.