Striated Muscle Structure-Function Relationships Professors and Supervisors

P D AllenView profile

Professor

University of LeedsUnited Kingdom

Professor P D Allen is a Professor of Anaesthesia at the University of Leeds, UK, and holds Emeritus status at Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on muscle physiology, malignant hyperthermia, and calcium regulation in striated muscles. He has held academic and clinical roles across institutions including Harvard, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and UC Davis. Notable awards include the MHAUS Distinguished Contribution Award (2007) and FAER Honorary Lecturer (2006). His work explores ryanodine receptor structure-function relationships and gene therapy applications using CRISPR-Cas9. Education: PhD in Physiology, University of Florida (1973) MD, Boston University (1967) BA in Medicine, Boston University (1967) Research Interests: Over 40 years, Prof. Allen’s work has centered on calcium regulation in muscle cells, particularly the ryanodine receptor’s role in E-C coupling. He pioneered genetically engineered mouse models (e.g., dyspedic mice) to study protein interactions and has explored HSV1/AAV vectors for gene therapy in diseases like Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Recent advancements include CRISPR-Cas9 for creating disease models. Awards: Academy of Anesthesia Mentors Founding Member (2004) Vandam Lecturer (2001) Paul D. Allen Chair in Anesthesia Research (2007) Professional Memberships: American Society of Anesthesiology Biophysical Society Academy of Anesthesia Mentors (FAER) Labs/Teams: Active in the Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James’s, collaborating on E-C coupling protein interactions and gene therapy vectors.

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Cathy ShanahanView profile

Professor

King’s College LondonUnited Kingdom

Professor Cathy Shanahan serves as the London Centre for Nanotechnology Chair in Cellular Signalling at King's College London's School of Cardiovascular Medicine & Sciences (Denmark Hill campus). With over 17,637 citations and an extensive research portfolio, she leads significant investigations into vascular biology and cardiovascular disease mechanisms. Her work bridges the London Centre for Nanotechnology (a joint venture between King's College London and University College London) with cardiovascular medicine, focusing on cellular signaling pathways in vascular pathologies. Her primary research interests center on vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) biology, particularly the molecular regulation of VSMC phenotype and its relationship to vascular dysfunction in diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, hypertension, chronic renal failure, and aging. Her work has demonstrated that human VSMCs undergo phenotypic transitions both in vitro and in vivo , converting from contractile cells to a pan-mesenchymal state capable of expressing multiple lineage markers. A major focus involves vascular calcification processes, which her research has shown to be a regulated process similar to bone formation, with VSMCs expressing osteoblast and chondrocyte markers during calcification. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals a strong trajectory toward understanding the molecular mechanisms of vascular aging, calcification, and the role of extracellular vesicles in cell-to-cell communication. Her work increasingly integrates epigenetic regulation, mechanotransduction, and metabolic pathways in vascular pathology, with recent emphasis on nesprin proteins, heterochromatin loss in vascular inflammaging, and the FNDC1-NAMPT-NAD axis in arterial disease. Professor Shanahan leads five active research projects totaling significant funding from organizations including the British Heart Foundation, Leducq Foundation, and Medical Research Council. Current projects include 'Unravelling the impact of the aged extracellular matrix microenvironment on vascular smooth muscle cell pathological change' (2025-2028) and the 'Calcification-Omics, Molecular Elucidation, & Therapeutics (COMET) Network' (2025-2029), which represents a major international collaborative effort. Her laboratory investigates the role of nesprins in cardiovascular cell functions including the cell cycle, cell migration, cell aging, and nuclear and cytoplasmic signaling pathways. This work connects vascular biology with nuclear envelope disorders (laminopathies) including muscular dystrophies, cardiomyopathies, lipodystrophies and progeria syndromes.

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Yuho KimView profile

Assistant Professor

University of Massachusetts LowellUnited States

Yuho Kim is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy & Kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, with an affiliate role in the Department of Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences. His research focuses on mitochondrial dysfunction in neuromuscular and cardiac disorders, employing molecular, functional, and imaging analyses in cell and animal models. He holds editorial and review roles for journals like Frontiers in Physiology and serves on professional committees. Education: Ph.D. in Exercise Science (Syracuse University, 2015), M.S. in Molecular Biology (Utah State University, 2011), and prior degrees from Kyung Hee University (South Korea). Postdoctoral training included NIH/NHLBI and York University. Research interests include therapeutic strategies for mitochondrial diseases, such as drug/gene delivery and exercise interventions. His grants include DOD/CDMRP (PI) and NIH projects (Co-I). Collaborations span institutions like UMass Chan Medical School, NIH, and international partners. Teaching includes courses on Exercise Science and Physiology. His lab, located in the Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center, emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to muscle health. Current and alumni students are listed in the team section.

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Anna GrosbergView profile

Associate Professor

University of California, IrvineUnited States

Anna Grosberg, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and Core Lab Faculty Director in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). She leads the Cardiovascular Modeling Laboratory, part of the UCI Edwards Lifesciences Foundation Cardiovascular Innovation and Research Center (CIRC). Her work focuses on integrating computational modeling and tissue engineering to study cardiac development, function, and disease mechanisms, particularly leveraging stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and in vitro/in silico models. Her research interests include multiscale modeling of cardiac structure-function relationships, mechanobiology of cardiac tissue, and translational applications in regenerative medicine. Key topics involve hypoxia effects in obstructive sleep apnea, genetic cardiomyopathies (e.g., LMNA mutations), and the biophysical basis of cardiac contractility. Collaborations span engineering, medicine, and industry to develop tools for drug discovery, medical devices, and personalized treatments. Dr. Grosberg has pioneered platforms like the 'Heart on a Chip' and developed quantitative methods for assessing cytoskeletal changes in diseases such as lung cancer and muscular dystrophy. Her educational contributions include the CardioStart program, a virtual tissue engineering course for high school students. Her lab emphasizes interdisciplinary innovation, combining experimental assays with advanced modeling to address cardiac disease at cellular, tissue, and organ levels. Current projects explore how mechanical forces influence myogenesis, the role of microtubules in muscle fiber integrity, and predictive models for OSA severity assessment.

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Masataka KawaiView profile

Professor

University of IowaUnited States

Masataka Kawai is a Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. His research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of striated muscle contraction and the pathogenesis of hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathies (HCM, DCM). Education: BA in Science from the University of Tokyo, PhD in Biology from Princeton University, Postdoctoral Fellow at Columbia University. Kawai's lab develops innovative techniques using skinned muscle fibers and recombinant proteins to study actin-myosin interactions. His work reveals how regulatory proteins like tropomyosin and troponin enhance muscle force generation and how mutations in these proteins lead to cardiomyopathies through distinct diastolic and systolic mechanisms. Recent publications emphasize molecular dynamics of HCM/DCM mutations, thin filament reconstitution methods, and ionic effects on muscle contractility. Key subfields include protein structure-function relationships, biomechanical modeling, and translational research on cardiovascular diseases. Kawai leads the Kawai Lab, contributing to bioinformatics, computational biology, and experimental methodologies in muscle research.

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Christian RodeView profile

Professor

University of RostockGermany

Christian Rode serves as Professor and Deputy Director at the Institute of Sports Science, University of Rostock, where he maintains an active research office in Room 120 of the Institute building at Am Waldessaum 23 a, 18057 Rostock. His research centers on the interaction between passive and active muscle elements, exploring structure-function relationships in striated muscles through theoretical and experimental approaches spanning molecular mechanisms to whole-leg architecture and locomotion dynamics. A key focus involves DFG-funded investigations into titin proteins and advanced muscle modeling. Rode's work integrates biomechanical principles with physiological systems analysis, emphasizing translational applications from cellular muscle components to human movement mechanics. His methodologies bridge computational modeling with empirical validation across multiple anatomical scales. No scientific awards or formal advisees are documented in the available materials. Research operations appear institutionally supported through standard university infrastructure without specified external grants or dedicated laboratory teams mentioned in the source text.

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