Meet the Marfan / Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Team
The Marfan / Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome team at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is comprised of specialists in genetics and cardiology.
Richard J. Wenstrup, MD, is the Co-Director of the Marfan Syndrome / Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Clinic. In addition to diagnosing and managing patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), Dr. Wenstrup is involved in research projects that investigate connective tissue biology and the genetic basis of connective tissue disorders.
One major laboratory effort utilizes cultured human EDS cells lacking a gene for type V collagen to elucidate the role of the proa1(V) chain of type V collagen in collagen fibril nucleation, fibril diameter and biomechanical characterisitics of connective tissues. The overall aim of these studies are twofold:
- Elucidate mechanisms of genetic control of connective tissue biomechanics
- Provide a knowledge base from which to engineer orthopedic tissues in culture
Richard A. Meyer, MD, has been an attending cardiologist at Cincinnati Children's since completing his fellowship here in 1972. Dr. Meyer has spent his entire career developing and promoting all phases of the use of echocardiography in infants, children and adults. As Co-Director of the Marfan Syndrome / Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Clinic, Dr. Meyer is investigating the cardiac complications in patients with the Marfan and Ehlers-Danlos syndromes.
Erin M. Miller, MS, received her master's of science in genetic counseling from Indiana University. She has been actively involved in the Marfan / EDS clinic since she began working at Cincinnati Children's.
