Cardiovascular Faculty

Bio

Administrator Info
Name: Lisa Moe
Email: seif0046@umn.edu
Mail: Cancer & Cardiovascular Research Building
2231 6th St SE, 1st floor Mailroom CCRB
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Summary
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.Come work with us! Visit https://med.umn.edu/lhi/about/jobs to see open positions in the Mary Garry lab.

Research Summary

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

Bio

Administrator Info
Name: Lisa Moe
Email: seif0046@umn.edu
Mail: Lillehei Heart Institute
2231 6th Street SE
1st floor Mailroom CCRB
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455

Research Summary

Regenerative medicine, Cardiogenesis, and Stem-Cell BiologyDan's laboratory has a long-standing interest in regenerative and stem cell biology with a focus on the heart and skeletal muscle. In their studies of the heart and skeletal muscle, the Garry laboratory utilizes an array of technologies including gene disruption strategies, transgenesis, single cell genome analysis, gene editing (TALEN and CRISPR technologies), inducible ES/EB model systems, hiPSC technologies, FACS and other cellular, biochemical and molecular biological techniques. In addition, their use of lower organisms such as zebrafish and newt, which are highly regenerative model systems have successfully uncovered critical regenerative factors. Human iPSCs are another important model for cardiovascular disease investigation for the lab. Using these technologies, the Garry lab was among the first to discover the molecular markers of stem cell populations that regulate critical networks during heart and skeletal muscle development and regeneration. For example, their studies have uncovered novel Ets and Forkhead transcription factors, microRNAs and signaling pathways that direct fate determination of stem cell populations. The manipulation of these pathways using chemical genetics and molecular technologies has provided a platform focused on rebuilding and repairing the injured heart and skeletal muscle. Care Philosophy My philosophy is to provide outstanding comprehensive care to patients with cardiovascular disease, including a number of emerging technologies available at the University of Minnesota Medical Center-Fairview. My practice combines state-of-the-art therapies, compassion, and effective communication, creating a working partnership that results (overall) in high quality of life for my patients.

Clinical Summary

General cardiology; Advanced heart failure; Orthotopic heart transplant

Research Summary

I have a broad background in cardiovascular developmental biology, bioinformatics and computational biology, with specific training and expertise in database constructions, data analysis and algorithm development. I was trained in genetics and genomics, and have more than ten years of experience on bioinformatics and computational biology, including siRNA design, peptide array design, database construction and predicting development related genes. After I joined the Lillehei Heart Institute, I mainly focused on developing algorithms for single cell RNA-seq analysis including tools such as dpath (prediction of cell differentiation), TCM (visualization of temporal scRNA-seq data), DrImpute (imputing dropout events in the scRNA-seq data), DCLEAR (CRSPR/cas9-based single cell lineage reconstruction), and inferring gene regulatory networks from multi-dimensional omics- data. In addition, I have successfully collaborated with other investigators on the characterization of novel genes, microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that have important functions in various biological processes. In addition, my laboratory has expertise using and analyzing large datasets focused on proteomics, metabolomics and transcriptomics. Combining the large scale genomic approaches with novel machine learning methods, we have recently deciphered the cell populations and defining pathways that are critical for hemato-endothelial development, cardiogenesis and cardiac regeneration. We will further employ these computational biological approaches to amplify and accelerate the research in heart development and cardiovascular disease.

Bio

Dr. Sergey Gurevich is an interventional cardiologist with University of Minnesota Health. Dr. Gurevich competed his medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin and his residency at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical College. He joined the University of Minnesota Cardiovascular general fellowship in July of 2015 and subsequently completed his interventional training in 2018. Following his fellowship, he was asked to join the cardiovascular section at the University of Minnesota Medical School where his clinical focus has been primarily interventional coronary procedures including complex coronary intervention with mechanical circulatory support and chronic total occlusions.His research interests have focused on improving transcatheter therapies for structural heart disease including transcatheter aortic valve replacement and transcatheter mitral therapies. His translational research has been focused on implementation of emerging technologies into clinical practice. His work has been featured at several national and international conferences with a number of publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Research Summary

Dr. Gurevich's research focus is transcatheter therapies for structural heart disease

Clinical Summary

Cardiac CT, Coronary artery disease and intervention, Coronary artery disease (stable and unstable angina, myocardial, infarction), Coronary physiology, Hemodynamics, Interventional cardiology, Invasive hemodynamics, Mechanical circulatory support, Percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale and atrial septal defect, Pulmonary artery hypertension, Structural heart disease, Transcatheter therapies, Valvular heart disease

Bio

Dr. Alejandra Gutierrez Bernal is a Latin American woman from Columbia. She graduated from medical school in her home Bogota at the University of the Andes and completed her internal medicine residency at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, and then came to the University of Minnesota to complete her cardiology and critical care fellowship. Following her fellowship, Dr. Gutierrez Bernal joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota more than a half a year ago and now works in the cardiac ICU taking care of post arrest patients.

Clinical Summary

Dr. Gutierrez’s clinical interest is in Critical Care Medicine and Post-ICU clinic follow-up.

Bio

Dr. Jhun received her Ph.D. degree from the Kyung Hee University School of Medicine in Seoul, Republic of Korea. She completed her postdoctoral training at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and University of Rochester. Subsequently, she worked as an Instructor at Thomas Jefferson University and as an Assistant Professor at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University. Dr. Jhun joined the University of Minnesota faculty in 2018 as an Assistant Professor at the Lillehei Heart Institute, Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine. Her research interests focus on the cellular signaling mechanisms underlying abnormal mitochondrial morphology and mitochondrial dysfunction that contributes to the development of heart failure.

Research Summary

Focus on the cellular signaling mechanisms underlying abnormal mitochondrial morphology and mitochondrial dysfunction that contributes to the cardiomyocyte death, cardiac fibroblast proliferation, and the development of heart failure. Elucidation of these regulatory mechanisms will facilitate the design of novel therapeutic targets for the pharmacological management of heart failure.

Bio

Dr. Rajat Kalra completed his medical degree in the United Kingdom. Dr. Kalra then remained in the U.K. to complete the British equivalent of internship before moving to the United States to continue his postgraduate medical training.In the United States, Dr. Kalra completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham before moving on to complete his cardiology and advanced cardiac imaging fellowships at the University of Minnesota. During his fellowship, he also sought formal training in clinical epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health.

Research Summary

General cardiology Cardiac imaging Heart failure and cardiac arrest.

Clinical Summary

General cardiology; cardiac imaging; heart failure and cardiac arrest

Bio

Dr. Kamdar is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Cardiovascular Division of the Department of Medicine at the University of Minnesota. She received her M.D. from the University of Minnesota Medical School. She completed her training in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease at the University of Minnesota through the Physician-Scientist Training Pathway, in which she pursued a Ph.D. in Integrative Biology and Physiology. She completed her advanced heart failure, heart transplant, and mechanical circulatory support fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. Her clinical and research interests focus on cardiomyopathy associated with neuromuscular disorders, such as muscular dystrophies, and clinical and translational research in mechanical circulatory support.

Research Summary

Cardiac Calcium Regulation Muscular Dystrophy Associated Cardiomyopathy Human induced pluripotent stem cell research Myocardial structural proteins Mechanical circulatory support Kamdar Lab Website

Clinical Summary

Advanced heart failure, Advanced hemodynamic support, Cardiac transplant/Mechanical Circulatory Support, Heart failureHeart transplantation and regeneration, Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Mechanical circulatory support, Muscular dystrophy associated cardiomyopathy, Right ventricular dysfunction, Women's heart health

Bio

I completed my Internal medicine training at the University of California San Diego, moved to Minneapolis for training in Cardiology and Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging. My clinical interests are the use of cardiac CT and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging to diagnose and treat patients with heart disease. My research interests are in the role of inflammation in heart disease.

Research Summary

Cardiac inflammation Structural Heart Disease Coronary artery disease Cardiac CT Cardiac MRI

Clinical Summary

Coronary artery disease; Cardiac CT; Cardiac MRI

Bio

Suma H. Konety, MD, MS is a professor of medicine who specializes in cardio-oncology, cardiac imaging, and women's heart health. Dr. Konety directs the cardio-oncology clinic at the University campus, where patient-centered cardiovascular care is provided to patients with active cancer and to cancer survivors. Dr. Konety's research interests include prevention and early diagnosis of cardiac toxicity caused by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As a cardiac epidemiologist, Dr. Konety serves as a co-investigator for several NIH-funded population studies including MESA and ARIC studies.

Research Summary

With a master's degree in epidemiology, Dr. Konety studies data relating to cardiac outcomes in the general population and to women.

Clinical Summary

Women's heart health; Epidemiology

Bio

I have a broad background in physiology, with specific training and expertise in research areas such as ion channel mechanisms, patch clamp electrophysiology, Mg homeostasis, mitochondria, and ER stress. I have carried out electrophysiological experiments to study nicotinic acetylcholine receptors at neuromuscular junctions, voltage-gated cardiac sodium channel and other cardiac ion channels. I have been working on different cardiac disease mouse models (hypertension, MI, HFpEF) and cell models (acutely isolated/cultured cardiomyocytes and human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes). Recently, I am focusing on studying Mg deficiency-induced cardiac diastolic dysfunction (DD) and Mg supplementation on improvement of DD and HFpEF.

Research Summary

Mg deficiency-induced cardiac diastolic dysfunction and HFpEF

Clinical Summary

Arrhythmia, Cardiac arrhythmia, Cardiac electrophysiology, Heart failure, Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Bio

Dr. Hong Liu has extensive experience in translational cardiovascular research and her main research interest is the role of oxidative stress in the development of heart failure and arrhythmia. Current project is to investigate the relation between inflammation and diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Research Summary

Oxidative Stress Diastolic Dysfunction Arrhythmia Diabetes Inflammation