Michael Bround

Michael Bround is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Integrative Physiology at Baylor College of Medicine. His research focuses on mitochondrial biology, particularly how mitochondrial signaling impacts cellular metabolism and disease processes in cardiac, skeletal muscle, and neural tissues. He holds a BSc and PhD in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from the University of British Columbia and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Molecular Cardiovascular Biology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital.

Research Interests: Mitochondrial calcium signaling, necrotic cell death mechanisms, mitochondrial quality control, and their roles in diseases such as muscular dystrophy, heart failure, and Alzheimer’s disease. His lab investigates how mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to pathologies and seeks therapeutic targets to mitigate disease progression.

Key Projects: Current studies include characterizing novel mitochondrial calcium transport mechanisms, defining the dual roles of ANT proteins in metabolism and cell death, and developing anti-necrotic therapies for muscular dystrophy and cardiovascular diseases. The lab also explores mitochondrial contributions to rare genetic disorders like Barth Syndrome.

Lab Members: Current lab members include Gabriella Daire (Graduate Student) and Ta’Aliyah Jones (Graduate Student), alongside undergraduate researchers and technicians. Former members include Mac Feldman (SMART Program) and Ke’Arie Davis (CURE Program).

Publications: Recent work includes studies on MCU-independent calcium uptake in Duchenne muscular dystrophy and the role of ANT proteins in necrotic myofiber death. Ongoing projects aim to unravel mitochondrial signaling pathways and their clinical applications.