Mary G. Garry, PhD

The Garry lab has two major areas of focus. The first area of focus is the neural control of cardiovascular responses to exercise. Specifically, the lab focuses on the Exercise Pressor Reflex which is a reflex activated by skeletal muscle contraction. The Garry lab has developed novel rodent models (rat and mouse) to explore the mechanisms that mediate this reflex in both physiological and pathological states. Abnormal function of this reflex occurs in a variety of diseases such as heart failure, hypertension, and diabetes and extreme abnormalities serves as a poor prognostic indicator. The goal of the lab is to identify specific mechanisms that underlie the abnormal reflex in various disease such that normalization of the reflex can be targeted with novel therapies.

The second area of focus for the Garry lab is the generation of humanized organs for 1) novel human research models and 2) transplantation purposes. To that end, we have generated several models in which pigs develop humanized organs. Specifically, we have developed pigs with human skeletal muscle and pigs with human blood vessels and blood. These models will be used to generate unique research models and even allow for a new form of clinical trial without human risk. Additionally, we are developing organs for human transplantation purposes that will treat injury based deficits such as volumetric muscle loss. Moreover, these technologies can treat peripheral artery disease and can help to meet the staggering demand for human blood and platelets.

Established Investigation American Heart Association 2006

Baccaner Award for outstanding graduate studies, 1990, University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota Service

• Member, President’s Initiative to Prevent Sexual Misconduct (PIPSM) (2021-present)
• Member, Faculty Senate, University of Minnesota (2020-present)
• Member, Faculty Senate, Research Subcommittee (2020-present)
• Member, Muscular Dystrophy Center, University of Minnesota (2015-present)
• Member, Institute for Engineering and Medicine, University of Minnesota (2013-present)
• Member, Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota (2007-present)

• Neural control of cardiovascular responses to exercise
• Generation of humanized organs for 1) novel human research models and 2) transplantation purposes

• Role: Principal Investigator
  Department of Defense
  Development of a Humanized Model for the Study and Treatment of VML
  07/01/2020-06/30/2024
• Role: Principal Investigator Department of Defense
  Humanized Skeletal Muscle in Pig: Novel Model and Tissue Source for VML 09/01/2019-08/31/2022
• Role: Co-Principal Investigator
  NIH/NHLBI
  Mechanisms that Govern and Promote Cardiovascular Regeneration 07/01/2019-06/30/2024
• Role: Co-Investigator
  NIH/NHLBI
  Bioengineering Strategies for Cardiovascular Disease 07/01/2019-06/30/2024
• Role: Co-Investigator
  Department of Defense
  Humanized cardiovascular organs in gene edited pigs
  07/01/2021 - 06/30/2024
• Role: Co-Investigator
  Regenerative Medicine Minnesota
  Bioengineering strategies for blood diseases and regeneration
  04/01/2021-03/30/2023
  

• Title: Regulation of Mesodermal Specification
  US App Number: W02017020009A1
  Filed Date: 02/02/2017
  PCT/US 2016/044859
  Filed Date: 07/29/2017
  Inventors: Garry MG, Garry DJ, Koyano-Nakagawa N, Singh BN
  Issued: US Patent Number 10,858,627 on December 8, 2020.
  Title: Etv2 and uses thereof
  US Utility App 15/554,585
  Filed Date: 03/03/2016
  And 21 foreign counterparts
  Inventors: Garry MG, Garry DJ, Rasmussen TL, Koyano-Nakagawa N
• Title: Humanized Skeletal Muscle and uses thereof
  US Utility App 15/193,042
  Filed Date: 06/30/2016
  And 7 Foreign Counterparts
  Inventors: Garry MG, Garry DJ, Koyano-Nakagawa N
  Issued U.S. Patent Number 10,874,092 on December 29, 2020.
• Title: Humanized Heart Muscle and uses thereof
  US Utility App 15/793,066
  Filed Date: 06/30/2016
  And 14 Foreign Counterparts
  Inventors: Garry DJ, Garry MG, Koyano-Nakagawa N
  Issued U.S. Patent Number 10,897,880 on January 26, 2021.
• Title: Peptides of cav2.2 that inhibit pain
  US App Number: WO/2005/097828
  PCT/US-2005/010642
  Filed Date: 04/01/2004
  And 2 Foreign Counterparts
  Inventors: Garry MG, Bezprovany I.
  Issued U.S. Patent Number 7,829,688 on November 9, 2010

A full list of publications is available at experts@umn.edu.

• Garry, MG, Kren, S, Wenger, JB, Garry, DJ (2021) Biologically derived, 3-dimensional embryonic scaffolds for long-term cardiomyocyte culture. Stem Cells & Dev. 30(14):697-704.
  
• Maeng G, Das S, Greising SM, Gong W, Singh BN, Kren S, Mickelson D, Skie E, Gafni O, Sorensen JR, Weaver CV, Garry DJ, Garry MG. (2021) Humanized skeletal muscle in MYF5/MYOD/MYF6 null pig embryos as a platform for interspecies organ production and xenotransplantation. Epub ahead of print, March 29, 2021Nature Biomedical Engineering. doi:10.1038/s41551-021-00693-1
• Maeng G, Gong W, Das S, Yannopoulos D, Garry DJ and Garry MG. (2020) ETV2-null porcine embryos survive to post-implantation following incomplete enucleation. Reproduction. May;159(5):539-547. doi:10.1530/REP-19-0382.
• Li Q and Garry MG. (2020) A Murine Model of the Exercise Pressor Reflex. The Journal of Physiology. Aug;598(15):3155–3171. doi.org/10.1113/JP277602.
• Das S, Koyano-Nakagawa N, Gafni O, Maeng G, Singh BN, Rasmussen T, Pan X, Choi KD, Mickelson D, Gong W, Pota P, Weaver CV, Kren S, Hanna JH, Yannopoulos D, Garry MG*, Garry DJ*. (2020) Generation of human endothelium in pig embryos deficient in ETV2. Nat Biotechnol. 38(3):297-302. doi:10.1038/s41587-019-0373-y. * denotes equal contribution.