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

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

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

• Li Q, Garry MG. A murine model of the exercise pressor reflex. J Physiol. 2020; Author Manuscript.doi:10.1113/JP277602
• Maeng G, Gong W, Das S, Yannopoulos D, Garry DJ, Garry MG. ETV2 null porcine embryos survive to post-implantation following incomplete enucleation. Reproduction. 2020; May;159(5):539-547. doi:10.1530/REP-19-0382.
• Das S*, Koyano-Nakagawa N*, Gafni O, Maeng G, Singh BN, Rasmussen T, Pan X, Choi K, Mickelson D, Gong W, Pota P, Weaver C, Kren, S, Hanna J., Yannopoulos D, Garry MG**, Garry DJ**. Human endothelium in pig embryos deficient in ETV2 as a platform for exogenic organ production. Nature Biotechnology, 2020; Mar;38(3):297-302. doi: 10.1038/s41587-019-0373-y. Epub 2020 Feb 24.**Denotes equal contribution
• Garry DJ, Caplan AL, Garry MG. Chimeric humanized vasculature and blood: The intersection of science and ethics. Stem Cell Reports. 2020; Apr 14;14(4):538-540. doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2020.03.016. Featured Cover Article.
• Garry DJ, Garry MG. Interspecies Chimeras and the Generation of Humanized Organs. Circulation Research 2019; Jan 4;124(1):23-25. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.118.314189.
• Singh BN, Koyano-Nakagawa N, Gong W, Moskowitz IP, Weaver CV, Braunlin E, Das S, vanBerlo JH, Garry MG*, Garry, DJ*. (equal contributors) A conserved HH-Gli1-Mycn network regulates heart regeneration from newt to human. Nature Comm. 2018; 9:4237 | DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06617-z.