Under the direction of Julian E. Stelzer, PhD, the Cardiovascular Therapeutics Laboratory at Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine studies the functional roles of contractile proteins in modulating force generation and cross-bridge kinetics in cardiac muscle. We use these insights along with animal models, and human tissue to develop novel small molecule and gene therapy strategies for treating various forms of heart disease.

We are located in Cleveland's University Circle district and are surrounded by 5 major hospital systems, which provide more than 80% of the patient care for patients in Northeast Ohio. 

We study the functional effects of post-translational modifications of contractile proteins at the level of the myofilaments and in vivo whole organ function, and how genetic defects in these proteins lead to altered cross-bridge function and the development of impaired contractile function in vivo and ultimately dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathies. We employ a variety of molecular and biophysical techniques to study cross-bridge function and cardiac muscle mechanics. We utilize knockout and transgenic animal models as well as in vivo gene transfer techniques to study the functional roles of contractile proteins on in vivo cardiac function using echocardiography, pressure-volume catheterization, and magnetic resonance imaging. 

Our lab is generously supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, the Case-Coulter Translational Research Partnership, the Council to Advance Human Health (CAHH), and partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry. 

We are proud to work  with our collaborators at Case Western, Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, and others worldwide.