Rate My Professor Helena Safavi-Hemami

Helena Safavi-Hemami is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Utah School of Medicine, with adjunct appointments as Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Department of Molecular Pharmaceutics. She earned an M.Sc. in Biology from the University of Cologne, Germany, in 2006, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Melbourne, Australia, in 2011. Following her Ph.D., she completed postdoctoral research fellowships at the University of Melbourne, the University of Utah beginning in 2016, and the University of Copenhagen. She joined the University of Utah faculty as a Research Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor in August 2022.

Safavi-Hemami's research focuses on the discovery, evolution, and biochemical characterization of venom peptides from cone snails, emphasizing molecular mimics of human hormones and neuropeptides such as insulins, somatostatins, and neurotensin-like peptides. Her work employs transcriptomics, proteomics, and computational approaches to identify novel bioactive compounds with therapeutic potential for conditions including chronic pain, diabetes, epilepsy, stroke, and autoimmune diseases. Key publications include "Specialized insulin is used for chemical warfare by fish-hunting cone snails" (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2015), "Venom insulins of cone snails diversify rapidly and track prey taxa" (Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2016), "Fish-hunting cone snail venoms are a rich source of biologically active peptides" (eLife, 2019), "Somatostatin venom analogs evolved by fish-hunting cone snails target somatostatin receptor 4" (Science Advances, 2022), and "Prey shifts drive venom evolution in cone snails" (Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2024). With over 2,550 citations on Google Scholar, her contributions have advanced understanding of venom evolution and peptide-based drug discovery. Safavi-Hemami received the 2023 Young Investigator Award from the Boulder Peptide Society and is principal investigator on NIH R01 grant GM122869 for life history-guided drug discovery from venomous marine snails.