Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Logo

Robbins Lab

Jeffrey Robbins, PhD

Professor

Research Description

Contact Dr. Robbins

Jeff Robbins
Email jeff.robbins@cchmc.org
Phone 513-636-8098
Fax 513-636-5958
Immunoflourescent staining

Immunoflourescent staining and confocal microscopy reveal that transgenically expressed protein is incorporated correctly into the sarcomere. The red stain corresponds to alpha-actinin, a protein that is restricted to the ends of the sarcomere while the yellow stain corresponds to transgenically encoded myosin binding protein C, which should be present only in the interior of the sarcomere. The interdigitating colors show that the transgenically encoded protein does, in fact, traffic to its correct site in the contractile apparatus (see Yang et al., A Mouse Model of Myosin Binding Protein C Human Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy for further details). View an enlarged version of the photo.

My research focuses on modeling human cardiovascular disease, particularly those diseases that result in compromised cardiac function.

The heart is fundamentally a multi-chambered pump, and there is a well-defined set of proteins that underlie its normal function. These proteins make up the contractile apparatus, which is responsible for the heartbeat, and it has been discovered that mutations in these proteins can cause cardiovascular disease. This type of disease is a major killer in the young adult population.

Although we understand the genetic basis of the disease, we do not fully comprehend how these mutations cause cardiac pathology to develop. My group creates mouse and rabbit models of these human diseases using transgenesis and gene targeting. Once the animals are created, the pathogenic processes can be studied under controlled conditions over the lifetime of the animal. As we begin to understand the disease's progression more clearly, we hope to identify legitimate therapeutic targets, which may delay or even prevent development of cardiac pathology.

Recent Publications (last four years)

Sadayappan S, Finley N, Howarth JW, Osinska H, Klevitsky R, Lorenz JN, Rosevear PR, JG, Robbins J. (2007) Role of the acidic N'-Region of cardiac troponin I in regulating myocardial function. FASEB J (in press)

Pattison S, Waggoner JR, James J, Martin L, Gulick J, Osinska H, Klevitsky R, Kranias EG, Robbins, J. (2007) Phospholamban overexpression in transgenic rabbits. Transgenic Res (in press)

Krenz M, Sadayappan S, Osinska HE, Henry JA, Beck S, Warshaw DM, Robbins J. (2007) Distribution and structure-function relationship of myosin heavy chain isoforms in the adult mouse heart. J Biol Chem (in press)

Wolf CM, Arad M, Ahmad F, A, Bernstein SA, Toka O, Morley G, Robbins J, Seidman JG, Seidman CE, Berul CI. (2007) Reversibility of PRKAG2 glycogen storage cardiomyopathy and electrophysiologic manifestations. Circulation (in press)

Pinz I, Robbins J, Benjamin IJ, Ingwall J. (2007) Unmasking different mechanical and energetic roles for the small heat shock proteins CryAB and HSPB2 using genetically modified mouse hearts. FASEB J (in press)

Diwan A, Krenz M, Sayed FM, Wanasapura J, Ren X, Matkovich SJ, Koesters AG, Li H, Kirshenbaum LA, Robbins J, Jones WK, Dorn GW. II (2007) Inhibition of ischemic cardiomyocyte apoptosis through targeted ablation of bnip3 restrains post-infarction remodeling. J Clin Invest (in press)

Oka T, Xu J, Kaiser RA, Melendez J, Hambleton M, Sargent MA, Lorts A, Brunskill EW, Dorn GW 2nd, Conway SJ, Aronow BJ, Robbins J, Molkentin JD. (2007) Genetic manipulation of periostin expression reveals a role in cardiac hypertrophy and ventricular remodeling. Circ Res 101: 313-321

Maloyan A, Gulick J, Glabe CG, Kayed R, Robbins J. (2007) Exercise reverses pre-amyloid oligomer and prolongs survival in αB-crystallin-based desmin related cardiomyopathy. Proc Natl Acad Sci, USA 104: 5995-6000

Nakamura T, Colbert M, Krenz M, Molkentin JD, Hahn HS, Dorn II GW, Robbins J. (2007) Mediating ERK1/2 signaling rescues congenital heart defects in a mouse model of Noonan syndrome. J Clin Invest 117: 2123-2132

Hsieh PCH, Davis ME, MacGillivray C, Gannon J, Molkentin JD, Robbins J, Lee RT. (2007) Evidence that stem cells refresh adult mammalian cardiomyocytes following injury: A genetic fate-mapping study. Nature Med 13, 970-974

Yasuda S-I, Coutu P, Sakthievel S, Robbins J, Metzger JM. (2007) Cardiac transgenic and gene transfer strategies converge to support a dominant effect of troponin I in regulating relaxation in cardiac myocytes. Circ Res 101: 377-386.

Nakayama H, Chen X, Baines CP, Klevitsky R, Zhang L, Zhang H, Jaleel N, Chua BHL, Hewett TE, Robbins J, Houser SR, Molkentin JD. (2007) Ca2+- and mitochondrial-dependent cardiomyocyte necrosis as a primary mediator of heart failure. J Clin Invest 117, 2123-2132

Purcell NH, Wilkins BJ, York A, Robbins J, Molkentin J. (2007) Genetic inhibition of cardiac ERK 1/2 promotes stress-induced apoptosis but has no effect on hypertrophy in vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci, USA 104, 14074-14079

Galvez AS, Diwan A, Odley AM, Hahn HS, Osinska H, Melendez JG, Robbins J, Lynch RA, Marreez Y, Dorn GW. (2007). Cardiomyocyte degeneration with calpain deficiency reveals a critical role in protein homeostasis. Circ Res 100, 1071-1078

Nishizawa T, Shen Y-T, Rossi F, Hong C, Robbins J, Ishikawa J, Sadoshima J, Vatner D, Vatner S. (2007) Altered autonomic control in conscious transgenic rabbits with overexpressed cardiac Gsα.  Am J Physiol 292, H971-975

Hoyer K, Krenz M, Robbins J, Ingwall JS. (2007) Shifts in the myosin heavy chain isozymes in the murine heart result in increased energy efficiency. J Mol Cell.Cardiol 42, 214-221

Yutzey KE, Robbins J. Principles of genetic murine models for cardiac disease. (2007) Circulation 115: 792-799.

Sadayappan S, Osinska H, Klevitsky R, Lorenz JN, Sargent M, Molkentin JD, Seidman CE, Seidman JG, Robbins J. (2006) Cardiac myosin binding protein-C phosphorylation is cardioprotective. Proc Natl Acad Sci, USA 103:16918-16923

Wang XJ, Robbins J. (2006) Heart failure and protein quality control. Circ Res 99:1315-1328

Funakoshi H, Chan TO, Good JC, Libonati JR, Piuhola J, Chen X, MacDonnell SM, Lee LL, Hermann DE, Zhang J, Martini J, Palmer T, Sanbe A, Robbins J, Houser SR, Koch WJ, Feldman AM. (2006) Regulated over-expression of the A1 adenosine receptor in mice results in adverse but reversible changes in cardiac morphology and function. Circulation 114: 2240-2250

Wang H, Grant JE, Doede CM, Sadayappan S, Robbins J, Walker JW. (2006) PKC sensitizes cardiac myofilaments to Ca2+ by phosphorylating troponin I on threonine-144. J Mol Cell Cardiol  41:823-833

Nakamura T, Colbert M, Robbins J. (2006) Neural crest cells retain multipotential characteristics in the developing valves and label the cardiac conduction system. Circ Res 98: 1547-1554.

Tallini YN, Ohkura M, Choi BR, Ji G, Imoto K, Doran R, Lee J, Plan P, Wilson J, Xin HB, Sanbe A, Gulick J, Mathai J, Robbins J, Salama G, Nakai J, Kotlikoff MI. (2006) Imaging cellular signals in the heart in vivo: Cardiac expression of the high-signal Ca2+ indicator GCaMP2. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 103:4753-8.

Nishizawa T, Vatner SF, Hong C, Shen YT, Hardt SE, Robbins J, Ishikawa Y, Sadoshima J, Vatner DE. (2006) Overexpressed cardiac Gsalpha in rabbits. J Mol Cell Cardiol.

Gaffin RD, Gokulan K, Sacchettini JC, Hewett TE, Klevitsky R, Robbins J, Sarin V, Zawieja DC, Meininger GA, Muthuchamy M. (2006) Changes in the end-to-end interactions of tropomyosin affect mouse cardiac muscle dynamics. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol.

Sadayappan S, Gulick J, Osinska H, Martin LA, Hahn HS, Dorn GW, 2nd, Klevitsky R, Seidman CE, Seidman JG, Robbins J. (2005) Cardiac myosin-binding protein-C phosphorylation and cardiac function. Circ Res 97:1156-63.

Sanbe A, Osinska H, Villa C, Gulick J, Klevitsky R, Glabe CG, Kayed R, Robbins J. (2005) Reversal of amyloid-induced heart disease in desmin-related cardiomyopathy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102:13592-7.

Maloyan A, Sanbe A, Osinska H, Westfall M, Robinson D, Imahashi K, Murphy E, Robbins J. (2005) Mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis underlie the pathogenic process in alpha-B-crystallin desmin-related cardiomyopathy. Circulation 112:3451-61.

Yutzey KE, Colbert M, Robbins J. (2005) Ras-related signaling pathways in valve development: ebb and flow. Physiology (Bethesda) 20:390-7.

Krenz M, Yutzey KE, Robbins J. (2005) Noonan syndrome mutation Q79R in Shp2 increases proliferation of valve primordia mesenchymal cells via extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 signaling. Circ Res 97:813-20.

Miller MS, Palmer BM, Ruch S, Martin LA, Farman GP, Wang Y, Robbins J, Irving TC, Maughan DW. (2005) The essential light chain N-terminal extension alters force and fiber kinetics in mouse cardiac muscle. J Biol Chem 280:34427-34.

Gulick J, Robbins J. (2005) Inducible cardiac-specific transgenesis. Current Protocols in Molecular Biology. Unit 23.12

Kruger M, Zittrich S, Redwood C, Blaudeck N, James J, Robbins J, Pfitzer G, Stehle R. (2005) Effects of the mutation R145G in human cardiac troponin I on the kinetics of the contraction-relaxation cycle in isolated cardiac myofibrils. J Physiol 564:347-57.

Sanbe, A., James, J., Tuzcu, V., Nas, S., Martin, L., Gulick, J., Osinska, H., Sakthivel, S., Klevitsky, R., Ginsburg, K, Bers, D., Zinman, B., Lakatta, E. G., Robbins, J. (2005) A Transgenic rabbit model for human troponin I-based hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Circulation 111: 2330-2338.

James, J., Krenz, M., Quatman, C., Jones, F., Klevitsky, R., Gulick, J., Robbins, J. (2005) Forced expression of alpha myosin heavy chain in the rabbit ventricle results in cardioprotection under cardiomyopathic conditions. Circulation 111: 2339-2346.

Gard, J. J., Yamada, K., Green, K. G., Eloff, B. C., Rosenbaum, D. S., Wang, X-J., Robbins, J., Schuessler, R. B., Yamada, K. A., Saffitz, J. E. (2005) Remodeling of gap junctions and slow conduction in a mouse model of desmin related cardiomyopathy. Cardiovascular Res. 67:539-547.

Graham, D. R. M., Garnham, C. P., Fu, Q., Robbins, J., Van Eyk, J. E. (2005) Improvements in two-dimensional gel electrophoresis by utilizing a low cost "in-house" neutral pH sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis system. Proteomics 9:2309-2314.

Baines, C. P., ,Kaiser, R. A., Purcell, N. H., Blair, N. S, Osinska, H., Hambleton, M. A., Brunskill, E. W., Sayen, M. R., Gottlieb, R. A., Dorn II, G. W., Robbins, J., Molkentin, J. (2005) Loss of cyclophilin D reveals a critical role for mitochondrial permeability transition in cell death. Nature 434: 658-662.

Kruger, M., Zittrich, S., Redwood, C., Blaudeck, N., James, J., Robbins, J., Pfitzer, G., Stehle, R. (2005) Effects of the mutation R145G in human cardiac troponin I on the kinetics of the contraction-relaxation cycle in isolated cardiac myofibrils. J. Physiol (London) 564:347-357.

Krenz, M., Robbins, J. (2004) Impact of ß-myosin expression on heart function during stress. JACC 44: 2390-2397.

Sakthivel, S., Finley, N. L., Rosevear, P. R., Lorenz, J. N., Gulick, J., Kim, S., VanBuren, P., Martin, L. A., Robbins, J. (2004) In vivo and in vitro analysis of cardiac troponin I phosphorylation. J. Biol. Chem. 280: 703-714

Syed, F., Odley, A., Hahn, H. S., Brunskill, E. W., Lynch, R. A., Marreez, Y., Robbins, J., Dorn, G. W., II (2004) Physiological growth synergizes with pathological genes in experimental cardiomyopathy. Circ Res. 95:1200-1206

Robbins, J. (2004) Genetic modification of the heart: exploring necessity and sufficiency in the past 10 years. J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 6(5):643-52

Sanbe, A., Osinska, H., Saffitz, J. E., Glabe, C. E., Kayed, R., Maloyan, A., Robbins, J. (2004) Desmin-related cardiomyopathy in transgenic mice: a cardiac amyloidosis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA. 101(27):10132-6

Kumar, A., Crawford, K., Flick, R., Klevitsky, R., Lorenz, J. N., Bove, K. E., Robbins, J. and Lessard, J. L. (2004) Transgenic overexpression of cardiac actin in the mouse heart suggests coregulation of cardiac, skeletal and vascular actin expression. Transgenic Research 13:531-540

Gaffin, R. D., Tong, C. W., Zawieja, D. C., Hewett, T. E., Klevistsky, R., Robbins, J., Muthuchamy, M. (2004) Charged residue alterations in the inner core domain and carboxy terminus of a-tropomyosin differentially affect mouse cardiac muscle contractility. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 561:777-791

Gaffin, R. D., Gokulan, K., Sacchettini, J. C., Hewett, T. E., Klevitsky, R., Robbins, J., Muthuchamy, M. (2004) Charged residue changes in the carboxy-terminus of a-tropomyosin alter cardiac muscle contractility. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. (In press)

Odley, A., Hahn, H. A., Lynch, R. A., Marreez, Y., Osinska, H., Robbins, J., Dorn G. W. II (2004) Regulation of cardiac contractility by Rab4-modulated ß2 adrenergic receptor recycling. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA. 101:7082-7087

Wei L., Taffet G. E., Khoury D.S., Bo J., Li Y., Yatani A., Delaughter M. C., Klevitsky R., Hewett T. E., Robbins J., Michael LH, Schneider MD, Entman M. L., Schwartz R.J. (2004) Disruption of Rho signaling results in progressive atrioventricular conduction defects while ventricular function remains preserved. FASEB J 18:857-859

Braz, J., Gregory, K., Pathak, A., Zhao, W., Sahin, B., Klevitsky, R., Kimball, T., Lorenz, J., Nairn, A., Liggett, S., Bodi, I., Wang, S., Schwartz, A., Lakatta, E., DePaoli, A., Robbins, J., Hewett, T., Bibb, J., Westfall, M., Kranias, E., Molkentin, J. D. (2004) PKCa regulates cardiac contractility and propensity towards heart failure. Nature New Medicine. 10:248-254.

Wang, X.-J.,, Klevitsky, R., Huang, W., Glasford, J., Li, F., Robbins, J. (2003) a-B-crystallin modulates protein aggregation of abnormal desmin. Circ Res. 93:998-1005

Nakayama, M., Yan, X., Price, R.L., Borg, T.K., Ito, K., Sanbe, A., Robbins, J. Lorell, B.H. (2004) Chronic ventricular myocyte specific overexpression of angiotensin ii type 2 receptor results in intrinsic myocyte contractile dysfunction. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 285:H2179-2187

Krenz, M., Sanbe, A., Bouyer-Dalloz, F., Gulick, J., Klevitsky, R., Hewett, T. E., Osinska, H. E., Lorenz, J. N., Brosseau, C., Federico, A. Alpert, N. R., Warshaw, D. M., Perryman, M. B., Helmke, S. M., Robbins, J. (2003) Analysis of myosin heavy chain functionality in the heart. J. Biol Chem. 278:17466-17474

Ishibashi, Y., Takahashi, M., Isomatsu, Y., Qiao, F., Iijima, Y., Shiraishi, H., Simsic, J. M., Baicu, C. F., Robbins, J., Zile, M. R., Cooper, G. (2003) Role of Microtubules versus Myosin Heavy Chain Isoforms in the Contractile Dysfunction of Hypertrophied Murine Cardiocytes. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 285: H1270-H1285.

Dorn, G. W. II, Robbins, J., Sugden, P. H. (2003) Phenotyping hypertrophy: Eschew obfuscation. Circ. Res. 92:1171-1175.

Sanbe, A., Gulick, J., Hanks, M. C., Liang, Q., Osinska, H., Robbins, J. (2003) Reengineering inducible cardiac-specific transgenesis with an attenuated myosin heavy chain promoter. Circ. Res. 92:609-616.

Go to Jeff Robbins' publications as listed by PubMed.

Current Editorial Boards

  • Circulation Research, 1992-present
  • Journal of Muscle Research and Cell Motility, 1995-present
  • Circulation, 1995-present
  • Cardiovascular Engineering, 1996-present
  • Journal of Biological Chemistry, 1999-present
  • Current Molecular Medicine, 2000-2003
  • Section Editor, Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine, 1992-present
  • Consulting Editor: Pediatric Research, 1999-present
  • Associate Editor: Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology
  • Cardiovascular Section Editor: Annual Reviews of Physiology
  • Associate Editor: Cardiovascular Toxicology

National Memberships and Honors

  • Established Investigator of the American Heart Association, 1986-1991
  • Member, USDA Developmental Biology Competitive Grants Panel, 1987-1989
  • Ad Hoc Member of NIH Biol-1 Study Section, 1984-1987
  • Member of NIH Biol-1 Study Section, 1987-1991
  • Member, NIH Reviewer Reserve; 1991-1995, Member
  • Basic Science Council, American Heart Association, 1991-1993
  • Member, NIH Cardiovascular A Study Section, 1994-1998
  • Editorial Board, Journal of Biological Chemistry, 1991-1996
  • Member, Grant Review Study Section, American Heart Association, 1992-1996
  • Chair, Grant Review Study Section, American Heart Association, National, 1997-1998.
  • Elected: Inaugural Fellow of the International Society of Heart Research, Basic Science Fellow of the American Heart Association (2001).
  • Chairman, AHA Basic Research Council, Ohio/Virginia/Florida Affiliate (2002-2004)
  • Dr. Robbins was awarded the National AHA Award for Research Achievement. The announcement from the AHA reads:

Research Achievement Award
This is a very distinguished award of national importance and its presentation is a highlight of Scientific Sessions. It has been conferred annually since 1953 in recognition of distinguished scientific achievement in the field of cardiovascular research. The award, may be made for an individual or group effort. Since the inauguration of the AHA Basic Research Prize, the Research Achievement Award has been focused to recognize and reward lifetime contributions to cardiovascular research and/or teaching.

Research Support

Ongoing

P01HL69779 (Robbins: PI); 06/01/02-05/30/07; NIH/NHLBI
Cardiac Signaling in the Normal and Abnormal Heart
This is a program grant within the Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology. Goals of Robbins' component are to study the roles that phosphorylation of the contractile proteins play in a hypertrophic response.

RO1 HL56370 Robbins (PI); 08/01/96-12/31/31/07; NIH/NHLBI
Transgenic Remodeling of the Rabbit Heart
The project is aimed at establishing cardiac-specific transgenic rabbit models. It will focus on a transgenic study in which the phospholamban complement of the heart is altered to establish its role in a human-like heart.

RO1 HL61638 Robbins (PI); 01/08/99-12/31/08; NIH/NHLBI
Structure and in vivo Function of Cardiac Contractile Proteins
The goal of this project is to investigate the functional correlates of mutant contractile protein expression in the working heart.

1 P50 HL074728-01 Benson (PI): Robbins (Leader, Proj. 4); 02/15/04-01/31/09; NIH/NHLBI
SCCOR in Pediatric Heart Development and Disease (Proj. 4: Animal Models of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy).
The major goals of this project are to study Shp-2 mutations using transgenic and gene knock-out mouse models.

PO1 HL52318 Dorn (PI), Robbins (Leader, Comp. 5); 02/17/95-01/31/10; NIH/NHLBI
SCoR in Heart Failure
To perform structure/function analyses of the myosin light chains in vivo by transgenic over-expression.

RO1 HL66157 Alpert (PI), Robbins (Comp. Leader); 2/1/01-1/31/06; NIH/NHLBI
Cardiac Myosin Transgenesis: Molecular Design/Performance
The major goals are to investigate how myosin's molecular structure contributes to its enzymatic and mechanical function and how it translates into the mechanical performance of the myocardium.

In addition to grants from the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association, Dr. Robbins' research is supported in part by the Training in CV Biology grant from the NIH (T-32 HL07382).

Recent invited presentations (last 4 years)

2002

  • "Transgenic remodeling of contraction" at Morehouse University, Atlanta, GA
  • "Structure-function studies of cardiac myosin" at Case Western Reserve, Cleveland, OH
  • "Transgenic approaches for understanding myosin in the heart" Gordon Conference, Session Chair and Speaker
  • "Genomics and cardiac failure", Keynote Address at: Third Annual Molecular Imaging Workshop: Cardiovascular and Beyond, Univ. of Mich, Ann Arbor, MI
  • "Animal models of cardiac hypertrophy" NIH Workshop, Wash, D.C.
  • "Cardiac failure-a genetic approach" Featured Lecture, at XXIV ISHR Meeting, Madison Wisc
  • "Cardiac failure; how not to fail" Keynote Lecture, Gordon Conference on Cardiac Function, Conn. College
  • "Cardiac Research-the future" The Kaplan Lectureship, Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH
  • "The desmin- and crystallinopathies" at AHA Heart Failure Meetings, Session Chair and Speaker, Snowbird, CO
  • "Pathways in hypertrophy" at AHA Heart Failure Meetings, Session Chair and Speaker, Snowbird, CO
  • "Transgenic approaches for understanding cardiovascular abnormalities" Keynote Speaker at The New England Conf. on Perinatal Research/Cape Cod.
  • "Genetics and the heart-a functional approach" at Brown University, RI

2003

  • "Myosin substitutions: structure-function of contraction" at Duke University, Durham, SC
  • "Structure-function studies of cardiac myosin" at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
  • "The Astra-Zeneca Master's Lecture" at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
  • "Genomics and heart failure", University of South Dakota
  • "Animal models of cardiac hypertrophy" Featured Lecture, at XXV ISHR Meeting, Connecticut
  • "Cardiac failure and the desminopathies" AHA Conference on Heart Failure and Signaling Pathways at Snowbird, CO
  • "Cardiac Research-the future" The Kaplan Lectureship, Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH
  • "Structure-function relationships of the contractile proteins" The Gordon Conferences, Sawyer-Colby College.
  • "Transgenic approaches to understanding heart disease" FASEB meetings, San Diego, CA
  • "Masters series in cardiovascular disease" The University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
  • "The desmin- and crystallinopathies" at AHA Heart Failure Meetings, Session Chair and Speaker, Snowbird, CO Session chair and Speaker.
  • "DRM and cardiovascular disease" at the national AHA meetings, Orlando, FL.

2004

  • "The stress response and heart failure" The Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute Series at Boston University, Boston, MA
  • "Desmin related myopathies: Alzheimer's of the heart?" Cleveland Clinics, Cleveland, OH
  • "Proteomic approaches to cardiovascular disease' UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
  • "Desmin-related cardiomyopathies: form and function" at the Keystone Symposia on Heart Failure and Disease, Keystone, CO. Session Chair.
  • "Myosin substitution via transgenesis in rabbits" at Myogen, Inc. Denver, CO
  • "Intermediate Filaments, chaperones and heart failure" at Cell and Gene Therapy Conference, Boston, MA (Session Chair)
  • "Convergence of signaling pathways at the contractile apparatus" COBRA Research Conference, Yellowstone National Park
  • "Discussion Leader:" at the Gordon Conference "Cardiac Regulatory Mechanisms at Colby Sawyer College, NH
  • "Stress response and heart failure" 1st Annual Basic Sciences AHA Symposium, Stevenson, WA (Session Chair)
  • "Plenary Session Talk" at the AHMRC, Sidney, Australia
  • "Creating animal models of human cardiovascular disease" AHMRC, Sidney, Australia, "The Edwards Oration" named lecturer.
  • "Analyses of cardiovascular disease models" at the American Heart Association's national meetings, New Orleans.
  • "The desmin related cardiomyopathies and their relationships to neurodegenerative disease" Wright State University, Dayton, OH
  • "When good proteins go bad: the unfolding story." Branbury Lecture at Cold Spring Harbor
  • "The desmin related cardiomyopathies and amyloidoses" Grand Rounds at Northwestern University College of Medicine
  • "Heart failure and the unfolded protein response" Cardiovascular Frontier Lecture at Boehringer Ingelheim Research, Danbury, CT
  • "Cardiovascular transgenesis" COBRE Lecture, Yellowstone Conference, MT
  • "Frontiers in Cardiovascular Science" at Wright State, Dayton, OH

2005

  • "Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Amyloids - an unfolding story" Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
  • Keynote Speaker "Novel cardiovascular disease pathways and the unfolded protein response" 5th Annual Symposium of Cardiovascular Development, Charleston, SC
  • "Desmin-related cardiomyopathies: form and function" at the Gordon Conferences, Newport, RI
  • "Aggresomes and heart disease" Grand Rounds, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY
  • "The unfolded protein response and heart disease" National meetings of the American Heart Association, Dallas, TX
  • "Stem cells and potential therapies for cardiovascular disease" SUNY at Downstate, NY, NY