معرفی
Dr. Ian M.C. Dixon is a Professor in the Department of Physiology at the University of Manitoba and a Principal Investigator at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences. His research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying cardiac fibrosis and heart failure, particularly in the context of myofibroblast activation and extracellular matrix remodeling.
Dr. Dixon obtained his PhD from the University of Manitoba in 1990 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto under Drs. Mike Sole and C.C. Liew. His academic journey has been deeply rooted in cardiovascular sciences, with a sustained focus on fibrotic pathways in the heart.
His research interests include cardiac fibrosis, myofibroblast biology, Smad and Hippo signaling pathways, autophagy, apoptosis, and extracellular matrix dynamics. His lab investigates how signaling proteins regulate fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition, collagen production, and cell viability. A major goal is to identify endogenous inhibitors of fibrosis such as Smad7 and Ski, and to explore therapeutic strategies to modulate fibrotic progression in heart disease, particularly heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).
Dr. Dixon has co-edited the book "Cardiac fibrosis and heart failure: Cause or effect?" with Dr. Jeffrey Wigle, reflecting his leadership in the field. His work combines molecular biology, cell culture, transgenic models, and whole-animal physiology, with a 25-year expertise in rat myocardial infarction models and recent development of inducible knockout mouse lines.
- Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba Robert E. Beamish Memorial Award (2002, 2007)
- Myles Robinson Heart Health Scholarship
- CIHR (MRC) Scholar
- MHRC Scholar
- Heart and Stroke Foundation Studentship
- Medical Research Council of Canada Post-Doctoral Fellowship
Dr. Dixon has supervised 26 graduated graduate students and currently mentors 4. He has received continuous funding and has served on national and international review panels including CIHR, NIH (USA), Heart and Stroke Foundation (Canada), Wellcome Trust, Alberta Heritage Foundation, and Michael Smith Foundation. He is an active reviewer for journals such as Cardiovascular Research, Circulation, Circulation Research, American Journal of Physiology, Journal of Cell Science, and Journal of Cell Physiology.
His laboratory collaborates with leading scientists including Drs. Wayne Giles (Calgary), Boris Hinz (Toronto), M. Fujii (NIH), Francesco Ramirez (Mount Sinai), Hiroshi Miyazono (Tokyo), Hal Dietz (Baltimore), Jeffery Molkentin (Cincinnati), Paul Benya (UCLA), and University of Manitoba colleagues Jeff Wigle, Mike Czubryt, Andrew Halayko, Tom Klonisch, and Grant N. Pierce. The lab has pioneered techniques in FTIR microspectroscopy for collagen assessment and studies on trans fatty acid effects on myofibroblast viability.
