Jeffery D. Molkentin, PhD

Director, Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology
Executive Co-Director, Heart Institute
Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

jeff.molkentin@cchmc.org

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About

Biography

I enjoy all areas of science but eventually focused on biological medical research. I find science fascinating and was always drawn to biomedical research. At Cincinnati Children’s — where I lead the Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology — I look for new molecular mechanisms of disease that might lead to new treatments.

My research interests include heart disease, muscular dystrophy, tissue fibrosis, calcium handling, ER stress signaling, cardiac hypertrophic signaling pathways and COVID-19 disease mechanisms.

Our laboratory has made significant contributions to the area of stem cell therapy for the heart. We have shown that presumed adult stem cells do not regenerate the heart. Instead, direct injection of these cells into the injured heart has a protective effect by altering the innate immune response and the activity of healing macrophages.

I have been a full investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute since 2008. For my work, I have been awarded the Basic Research Prize from the American Heart Association.

I take great pride in helping young scientists who wish to pursue careers in biomedical research. Dozens of my past trainees have gone on to principle investigator roles at academic institutions.

BS: Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, 1989.

PhD: Medical College of Wisconsin, 1994.

Research Areas

Heart, Fibrosis, Molecular Cardiovascular Biology

Publications

Selected

MCUb is an inducible regulator of calcium-dependent mitochondrial metabolism and substrate utilization in muscle. Huo, J; Prasad, V; Grimes, KM; Vanhoutte, D; Blair, NS; Lin, SC; Bround, MJ; Bers, DM; Molkentin, JD. Cell Reports. 2023; 42:113465.

Selected

ANT-dependent MPTP underlies necrotic myofiber death in muscular dystrophy. Bround, MJ; Havens, JR; York, AJ; Sargent, MA; Karch, J; Molkentin, JD. Science Advances. 2023; 9:eadi2767.

Selected

A human FLII gene variant alters sarcomeric actin thin filament length and predisposes to cardiomyopathy. Kuwabara, Y; York, AJ; Lin, SC; Sargent, MA; Grimes, KM; Pirruccello, JP; Molkentin, JD. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA. 2023; 120:e2213696120.

Selected

Interleukin-33 Mediates Cardiomyopathy After Acute Kidney Injury by Signaling to Cardiomyocytes. Florens, N; Kasam, RK; Rudman-Melnick, V; Lin, SC; Prasad, V; Molkentin, JD. Circulation. 2023; 147:746-758.

Selected

Depletion of skeletal muscle satellite cells attenuates pathology in muscular dystrophy. Boyer, JG; Huo, J; Han, S; Havens, JR; Prasad, V; Lin, BL; Kass, DA; Song, T; Sadayappan, S; Khairallah, RJ; et al. Nature Communications. 2022; 13:2940.

Selected

Thbs1 induces lethal cardiac atrophy through PERK-ATF4 regulated autophagy. Vanhoutte, D; Schips, TG; Vo, A; Grimes, KM; Baldwin, TA; Brody, MJ; Accornero, F; Sargent, MA; Molkentin, JD. Nature Communications. 2021; 12:3928.

Selected

Cardiac Cell Therapy Fails to Rejuvenate the Chronically Scarred Rodent Heart. Vagnozzi, RJ; Kasam, RK; Sargent, MA; Molkentin, JD. Circulation. 2021; 144:328-331.

Selected

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Cincinnati Ohio USA from August to December 2020. Davis, G; York, AJ; Bacon, WC; Lin, SC; McNeal, MM; Yarawsky, AE; Maciag, JJ; Miller, JL C; Locker, KC S; Bailey, M; et al. PloS one. 2021; 16:e0254667.

Selected

MCUb Induction Protects the Heart From Postischemic Remodeling. Huo, J; Lu, S; Kwong, JQ; Bround, MJ; Grimes, KM; Sargent, MA; Brown, ME; Davis, ME; Bers, DM; Molkentin, JD. Circulation Research. 2020; 127:379-390.

Selected

Cardiac Cell Therapy Rejuvenates the Infarcted Rodent Heart via Direct Injection but Not by Vascular Infusion. Vagnozzi, RJ; Sargent, MA; Molkentin, JD. Circulation. 2020; 141:1037-1039.