2023 Vascular and Heart Research Symposium
2023 VASCULAR AND HEART RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
Hosted by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Oct. 9-10, 2023
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
4 Riverside Circle, Roanoke VA
Forging New Collaborations in Vascular and Heart Research
The Second Annual Vascular and Heart Research Symposium, hosted by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and its Center for Vascular and Heart Research, will bring together experts in cardiovascular fields from across the region.
Researchers will foster interdisciplinary projects in vascular and cardiac studies to encourage functional comparisons and forge new collaborations.
Konstantinos Drosatos, Ph.D., FAHA
"A Critical Element of a Hepatocardiac Signaling Axis That Drives Cardiac Hypertrophy"
Ohio Eminent Scholar and Professor
Department of Pharmacology & Systems Physiology
College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati
Courtney Griffin, Ph.D.
"Molecular Insights About Vascular Regression"
Vice President of Research and Member
Cardiovascular Biology Research Program
Scott Zarrow Chair in Biomedical Research
Adjunct Professor of Cell Biology
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
Brian Jensen, M.D., Ph.D.
"Alpha-1A Adrenergic Receptors: Emerging Mechanisms of Cardioprotection"
Associate Professor
Division of Cardiology
Department of Medicine
UNC School of Medicine
Adam Straub, Ph.D.
"Redox, Reductases and Resilience: Basic Mechanism and Translational Implications for Cardiovascular Disease"
Associate Professor
Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology
Director, Center for Microvascular Research
Principal Investigator and Scholar
Heart, Lung, Blood, and Vascular Medicine Institute
University of Pittsburgh
Jop Van Berlo, M.D., Ph.D.
"Septin4 Is a Novel Regulator of Cardiac Fibrosis"
Associate Professor of Medicine
Cardiovascular Division
Director of Graduate Studies
Ph.D. Program in Integrative Biology and Physiology
University of Minnesota Medical School
James West, Ph.D.
"The BMP Pathway in Vascular Homeostasis"
Professor of Medicine
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
John Chappell, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Robert Gourdie, Ph.D., FAHA, AIMBE
Professor and Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund Eminent Scholar in Heart Reparative Medicine Research
Director, Center for Vascular and Heart Research
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Scott Johnstone, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Jessica Pfleger, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Steven Poelzing, Ph.D.
Professor
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Yassine Sassi, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
James Smyth, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Junco Warren, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Previous Symposia
Sharon Gerecht, Ph.D.
"Vascular differentiation and assembly"
Paul M. Goss Distinguished Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Pratt School of Engineering
Duke University
Brant Isakson, Ph.D.
"A Pannexin Dunning-Kruger Experience"
Professor
Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics
Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center
UVa School of Medicine
University of Virginia
Joseph Miano, Ph.D.
"New Mouse Models for Vascular Research"
Professor
J. Harold Harrison, MD, Distinguished University Chair in Vascular Biology
Medical College of Georgia
Augusta University
Robert Wirka, M.D.
"Intersecting Human Genetics and Arterial Biology to Identify the Mechanisms Driving Coronary Artery Disease"
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine and Department of Cell Biology
and Physiology, Division of Cardiology
UNC School of Medicine
University of North Carolina
John Chappell, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Robert Gourdie, Ph.D., FAHA, AIMBE
Professor and Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund Eminent Scholar in Heart Reparative Medicine Research
Director, Center for Vascular and Heart Research
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Scott Johnstone, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Jessica Pfleger, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
“Noncontact Recovery of Cardiovascular Signals Using Video of the Face”
A. Lynn Abbott, Ph.D.
Professor
Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Virginia Tech
“Pericyte-Endothelial Cell Interaction Following Cessation of Blood Flow”
Hanaa Abdelazim
Graduate Student, Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health
The Chappell Lab
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
“Effect of Disrupting Sodium Channel Beta 1 Subunit Adhesion on Cardiac Conduction Depends on Experimental Conditions”
William Adams
Graduate Student, Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health
The Poelzing Lab
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
“Optimization of CTDR Dye Loading into Small Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Cow Milk”
Md Ruhul Amin
Graduate Student, Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health
The Gourdie Lab
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
“Tailoring a Cardioprotective Peptide Prodrug for Exosomal Hitchhiking”
Mark Bannon, M.S.
Graduate Student, Chemical Engineering
The Letteri Lab
University of Virginia
“The Role of Endothelial Connexin 43 in Vascular Wound Healing”
Xinyan Eaton, Ph.D.
Research Assistant
The Johnstone Lab
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
“The Role of BMP3 in the Pathogenesis of Pulmonary Hypertension”
Aymen Halouani, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Associate
The Sassi Lab
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
“Therapeutic Targeting of the Extracellular cAMP Pathway in Pulmonary Fibrosis ”
Michael Klingener
Medical Student
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
The Sassi Lab
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
“Bovine Milk-Derived Exosomes as a Novel, Injury Targeting Drug Delivery System”
Spencer Marsh, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Associate
The Gourdie Lab
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Chief Scientific Officer
The Tiny Cargo Company
“Connexin 43 as a Regulator of Proliferation and Neointimal Formation in Human Vascular Tissue”
Megan Sedovy
Graduate Student, Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health
The Johnstone Lab
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
“Role of PERM1 in Energy Metabolism and O-GlcNAcylation in the Heart”
Karthi Sreedevi, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Associate
The Warren Lab
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
“A Novel Role for REDD1 in Cardiac Insulin Sensitivity and Resistance”
Mason Wheeler
Graduate Student, Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health
The Pfleger Lab
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
“Evaluating Cell Viability, Capillary Perfusion, and Collateral Tortuosity in an Ex Vivo Mouse Mesentery Fluidics Model”
Caroline Willi
Lab Manager and Research Coordinator
The Chappell Lab
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
“Voltage Gated Sodium Channel β1 Subunit Mimetic Peptide βadp1 Increases Regulated Intramembrane Proteolysis of SCN1B/β1”
Zachary Williams
Graduate Student, Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health
The Gourdie Lab
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
“Age-associated Perinexal Narrowing Masks Functional Consequences of Cellular Remodeling in Long QT Syndrome Type 3 ”
Xiabo Wu, M.S.
Graduate Student, Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health
The Poelzing Lab
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
“Regulation of Connexin43 Gap Junction Formation by Alternative Translation”
Kenneth L. Young II
Graduate Student, Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health
Lamouille and Smyth Labs
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
“Dynamic Transcription Start Site Usage Alters GJA1 mRNA 5’UTR Composition, Regulating Translation Initiation, and Modulating Gap Junction Formation. ”
Michael Zeitz, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
The Smyth Lab
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC