HUPO CVI: Cardiovascular initiative

Michael J Dunn
SFI Research Professor of Biomedical Proteomics
Proteome Research Centre
UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research
University College Dublin
Dublin 4
Ireland

tel: +353 1 716 6927
fax: +353 1 716 6965
mobile: +353-879120725
email: michael.dunn@ucd.ie
Skype: MichaelJDunn
Web-site: http://www.ucd.ie/conway/cv_458.html

Mike Dunn is Co-chair of the HUPO CVI. He is Science Foundation Ireland Professor of Biomedical Proteomics at the UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Ireland. His research team, based in the Proteome Research Centre, is carrying out a comprehensive programme of proteomics research in the areas of cardiovascular disease, transplantation and psychiatric disorders. The emphasis of the research programme is on understanding molecular processes involved in human disease and on the identification of novel biomarkers of disease that have the potential for development as diagnostic/prognostic markers or as therapeutic targets. Mike is the Editor-in-Chief of the Wiley-VCH journals, PROTEOMICS and PROTEOMICS – Clinical Applications.

Thomas M. Vondriska, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Anesthesiology, Medicine & Physiology
UCLA
Los Angeles, CA, USA
tvondriska@mednet.ucla.edu

My lab is interested in how intracellular signaling networks are reprogrammed to change cardiac phenotype. Specifically, we are examining protein interactions and post-translational modifications responsible for protection of the heart against ischemic injury and pressure overload induced failure.

Peipei Ping, PhD
Professor of Physiology and Medicine/Cardiology
Director of NHLBI PPG on Myocardial Ischemia Injury
Director of Proteomic Core Laboratory at CVRL
UCLA School of Medicine,
UCLA Los Angeles, CA 90095-1760 USA

My research program focuses on the interrogation of molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of myocardial ischemia injury, and the identification of therapeutic approaches to minimize and to prevent severe cardiac tissue damage during the ischemic challenges.

Juan-Pablo Albar, PhD
Head of Proteomics Facility, CMB Spain
Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC)
Centre:Centro Nacional de Biotecnología
C/ Darwin 3, Campus UAM de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid
E.mail: jpalbar@cnb.uam.es and jpalbar@proteored.org

Evaluating quantitative differential proteomiccs: Several approaches based on electrophoresis and/or chromatography combined with chemical or metabolic labeling, mass spectrometry and bioinformatics tools. Biomarker search. Design of multi-centric proteomics experiments for evaluating the standardization, reproducibility and robustness issues of proteomics workflows: ProteoRed goals.

Robert Gerszten, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital
Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases
Harvard University
RGERSZTEN@PARTNERS.ORG

In many human conditions such as atherosclerosis, leukocytes play a pivotal role in disease progression. For this reason, our research efforts have focused on understanding the molecular basis of inflammation and wound healing in cardiovascular disease. Our laboratory has incorporated emerging proteomics and metabolomics technologies to help identify novel signals derived from leukocytes, endothelial cells, or from the myocardium. In ongoing translational studies, we apply these same methodologies directly to samples from well-phenotyped human cohorts to identify candidate biomarkers, returning again to the bench to define functional roles. Our research incorporates basic molecular and cell biology, chemistry and mass spectrometry, bioinformatics, all with a foundation in clinical medicine. Our overall goal is to identify new metabolites and proteins that mark disease activity, shed insight into disease progression, and ultimately provide targets for therapeutic intervention.

Jin Han MD, PhD
National Research Laboratory for Mitochondrial Signaling Department of Physiology and Biophysics, College of Medicine Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease Center, Inje University
Tel: +82 51 890 6727
Fax: +82 51 894 5714
email: phyhanj@inje.ac.kr; phyhanj@hotmail.com; phyhanj@gmail.com

1) Mitochondrial Pathophysiology: To understand changes in mitochondrial function during pathological conditions (coronary artery disease, diabetes, obesity and hypertension).
2) The role of the mitochondrial ion channels in ischemia/reperfusion injury and ischemic preconditioning, using biochemical and imaging techniques in isolated mitochondria and isolated cardiac myocytes, as well as proteomic approaches.
3) The change of ion channels in vascular smooth cells during pathologic conditions (ischemia/reperfusion and left ventricular hypertrophy).

Dr. Frank Vitzthum
Director
Technology Assessment & Acquisition /
External Cooperations
DADE BEHRING MARBURG GMBH
P.O. Box 1149
35001 Marburg
Germany
www.dadebehring.com
Tel.: +49 (6421) 39-4473
Fax.: +49 (6421) 39-5347
E-mail: Frank_Vitzthum@dadebehring.com

My interests and activities focus on the areas of technology assessment, licensing in and out and external cooperations that support these activities. This includes to head the search, assessment, and licensing of technologies relevant to ongoing business and business development for the Dade Behring Marburg GmbH. Activities are based upon efficient and effective (1) strategic and business assessments, (2) financial assessments, (3) assessment of technical feasibility, (4) assessment of health care impact, (5) scientific assessment, and (6) assessment of intellectual property situation. The research performed at the associated Technology Assessment Laboratory supports, complements, and extends the aforesaid activities.

Wei-Wei Zhang, MD, PhD
President and CEO
GenWay Biotech, Inc.
6777 Nancy Ridge Drive
San Diego, CA 92121
Tel:     858-458-0866 x 101
Fax:    858-458-0833
Email: wzhang@genwaybio.com
Web:   www.genwaybio.com

As a protein and antibody solutions provider, GenWay has a multi-functional technology platform specialized in using proteins, antibodies, and their applications for functional genomics and proteomics. We specialize in recombinant proteins and domain-specific IgY (chicken) antibodies and their applications, such as IgY-microbeads (Seppro®) system and difficult-to-express proteins. GenWay’s proprietary Seppro® products provide proteomics researches with unique tools for protein separation, fractionation, and detection. The Company can also provide downstream proteomic analyses, target validation, and diagnostic product development.

Grzegorz(Greg) Sawicki, PhD
Department of Pharmacology
University of Saskatchewan
College of Medicine
107 Wiggins Road
Saskatoon SK, S7N 5E5
Canada

Telephone: (306) 966-6997
Facsimile: (306) 966-6220
E-mail: greg.sawicki@usask.ca

My research work is focused on molecular mechanisms of heart injury triggered by oxidative stress and its protection from contractile dysfunction. In my work I use the proteomics and pharmaco-proteomics approaches to study heart injury as well as the posttranslational modifications of proteins (particularly contractile proteins) triggered by oxidative stress and their role the injury.

Dian Er Chen, PhD
Principal Investigator
Proteomics R&D
Sigma-Aldrich Inc.
St. Louis, USA

Telephone: (314) 771-5765 ext. 3285
E-mail: DChen1@sial.com

My scientific interests are in the areas of biomarker discovery, validation and quantitation from various biofluids. A major focus and expertise of mine is sample preparation. I was recently awarded a grant in collaboration with several other institutes to validate 177 biomarkers of cardiovascular disease from plasma and serum of a large cohort of patients and will continue to validate the newly developed biomarkers for CVD.

Gerard Siest, PhD
Professor of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology
Nancy University
INSERM Team
CIC 9501, Nancy

Our lab’s research is focused on the gene-gene and gene-environment interactions in the cardiovascular field in healthy subjects. We are using for this approach a cohort of 1000 families followed during 15 years (3 visits, each one with 5 years of interval). We have a bank of serum, plasma (straws in liquid nitrogen), DNA corresponding to 0-5-10 years of follow up and mRNA corresponding to the 3rd visit. Protein phenotypes under investigation are more specifically inflammatory and adhesion molecules, lipid constituents and drug effect markers (pharmacogenomics).

Sophie Visvikis-Siest, PhD
Director of Research
INSERM Team
CIC 9501, Nancy

Harald Schmidt, MD PhD, FCSANZ FAACB
Head, Department of Pharmacology
Director, Centre for Vascular Health
Monash University VIC 3800 Australia

Telephone: +61 3 9905 5752
Fax: +61 3 9905 5729
Skype: hhhw_schmidt

Harald is Director of the Centre for Vascular Health and Head of Pharmacology at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. The aim the Centre is to develop mechanism-based drugs, biomarkers for therapeutic monitoring and cardiovascular risk assessment (developing a antibody-based diagnostic chip), and new imaging techniques based either on new contrast agents (mostly antibody based) in classical modalities or entirely new imaging modalities (NIR and EPR). To facilitate translation the centre is aligned with clinical researchers as well as pharmaceutical and medical devices industry.

Group: http://www.med.monash.edu.au/pharmacology/research/vddg.html

Personal: http://www.med.monash.edu.au/pharmacology/staff/harald-schmidt.html

Centre: http://http://www.cvh.monash.org

Florence Pinet, PhD
INSERM Research Director
INSERM Unit 744, Institut Pasteur de Lille
Lille, France

Email: florence.pinet@pasteur-lille.fr

Our team’s research is focused on the search of new biomarkers in several cardiovascular diseases (abdominal aorta aneurysm, left ventricular remodeling, heart failure) using proteomic analysis. We performed translational studies with close interactions with cardiological hospital of Lille. We have developed several cohorts of patients carefully phenotyped fro cardiovascular diseases and obtained biological samples with adequate quality control for proteomic analysis. Samples analyzed: macrocrages, smooth muscle cells, serum, plasma. Technologies: 2D, 2D(DIGE, SELDI-TOF, MALDI-TOF, LC-MS-MS, Q-TOF, western blot, antibody arrays

Gavin J. Wright, PhD
Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
Cambridge CB10 1HH

Telephone: 44 1223 496852
Email: gw2@sanger.ac.uk

My laboratory is interested in identifying novel cell surface receptor-ligand pairs by using large scale extracellular protein interaction screens. We are compiling libraries of recombinant receptor proteins expressed by human blood cells to discover new signaling pathways important for cardiovascular disease.

Ivan Lefkovits, PhD
Professor
Department of Biomedicine
University Clinics Basel
Vesalgasse 1
CH-4051 Basel

Telephone: 004161 2673551
Email: ivan.lefkovits@unibas.ch

For many years I have applied the tools of proteomics in defining molecular components of cells involved in the immune system. In recent years my interests shifted towards studying molecular mechanisms responsible for development and progression of heart failure.

Since we have access to human material from the cardio-thoracic operation theatre, the emphasis of our work is on elucidating diseases that are in causal relationship with our samples. They include myocardial and aortic tissue, arterial or venous bypass grafts and lung tissue. We analyze the proteome of the studied material, and we explore "constitutive" and "turnover" proteomes and subproteomes at certain stage of disease. Our emphasis is on quantitative assessment of the protein components, and on identification of clusters of proteins (rather than individual markers) that are expected to define the pathophysiological state of the organism.

Toru Suzuki, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Ubiquitous Preventive Medicine
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine
The University of Tokyo
7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655 Japan

Telephone: 81-3-5800-9846
Fax: 81-3-5800-9847
Email: torusuzu-tky@umin.ac.jp

Our research focuses on understanding the role of proteins in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease ranging from intra-cellular to extra-cellular processes with a particular focus on potential applications to diagnostics and therapeutics. We also are addressing the potential clinical applications of mass spectrometry.

Manuel Mayr, MD, PhD
BHF Senior Fellow and Senior Lecturer
Cardiovascular Division
The James Black Centre
King's College, University of London
125 Coldharbour Lane, London SE5 9NU, UK

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7848 5238
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7848 5296
Email: manuel.mayr@kcl.ac.uk
Website: http://www.vascular-proteomics.com

David Kent Arrell, PhD
Marriott Program for Heart Disease Research
Division of Cardiovascular Diseases
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN 55905

Email: arrell.kent@mayo.edu

Our lab's proteomic research is integrated within a systems approach focusing on (1) understanding developmental mechanisms guiding embryonic stem cell cardiopoiesis, and (2) defining underlying molecular mechanisms of cardiac stress adaptation.