Md Akkas Ali and Md Hasanul Banna Siam, trainees in the laboratory of Daniel Tyrrell, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, are recipients of 2026 American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowships.
The American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship is a nationally competitive award that enhances the integrated research and clinical training of promising trainees to develop careers aimed at improving global cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and brain health. The fellowship is designed to help young scientists enhance the skills and independence needed to foster future success as physician-scientists or researchers.
Md Akkas Ali, a fourth year Ph.D. candidate in biomedical sciences, is pursing dissertation research supported by this two-year fellowship that investigates how the aging immune system contributes to dementia. His work focuses on vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia, which is present in nearly 80% of dementia cases. Ali’s fellowship project aims to understand what causes age-associated T cells to accumulate in the aging brain and determine whether blocking their inflammatory signals can protect the brain from damage. Before joining UAB, Ali studied genetic engineering and biotechnology at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology in Sylhet, Bangladesh, where he has served as an assistant professor since 2018.
"I'm incredibly thankful for the mentorship of Dr. Daniel Tyrrell and the collaborative environment in the Department of Pathology. This work wouldn't be possible without the support I've received at UAB," Ali said.
Md Hasanul Banna Siam, a Ph.D. student studying biomedical sciences, is conducting research to understand how aging alters CD8⁺ T-cell function and contributes to atherosclerosis, the primary underlying cause of heart attack and stroke. Siam’s research suggests that biological changes associated with aging are modifiable, potentially reversing the process of atherosclerotic plaque formation. In 2022, Siam received the HSOM STAR21 Award, a prestigious award designed to help recruit the top graduate student applicants to the Graduate Biomedical Sciences Program. Prior to joining UAB, Siam studied Microbiology at the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh, worked at Biomedical Research Foundation, icddr,b and served as a lecturer at BRAC University.
“Receiving the AHA Predoctoral Fellowship is an incredible honor for me. I am deeply grateful to AHA, UAB, and my mentor Dr. Tyrrell, for providing me with the platform to pursue the scientific questions that motivate me most: understanding how aging and immune dysfunction contribute to heart disease. I am very excited to apply cutting-edge technologies to uncover mechanisms that may one day help protect millions of people from cardiovascular disease,” Siam said.