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Welcome to the USF Health Heart Institute
Our beautiful USF Health building in Downtown Tampa is located in the center of Water Street Tampa, a revitalized downtown region where our faculty and students can enjoy a healthy, energy-efficient lifestyle within walking distance of renowned entertainment venues, innovative dining, and outdoor recreational activities.
State-of-the-art laboratories and core facilities supported through National Institutes of Health and other federal grant sources, foundations, industry, and USF-generated resources create a vibrant environment for research. We have a particular interest in recruiting funded scientists with high risk-high potential gain projects, those using cutting-edge technology, and those seeking to unite basic and translational sciences to directly benefit patients.
Director's Welcome - Dr. Stephen Liggett
The USF Health Heart Institute faculty are always “aiming for the cure”, so securing intellectual property from our research is a core value.
The Heart Institute is also committed to helping expand entrepreneurial activity by channeling intellectual property into new commercial enterprises and engaging in community redevelopment with local companies.
Whether you are a patient, potential faculty recruit, donor, or citizen of the Tampa Bay region, I invite you to take a look at the faculty accomplishments on this website and join us in supporting research and innovation at the USF Health Heart Institute.
Featured Faculty
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Stephen Liggett, MD
Stephen Liggett, MDVice Dean for Research, Morsani College of Medicine Associate Vice President for Research, USF Health Distinguished Professor -
Da-Zhi Wang, PhD
Da-Zhi Wang, PhDProfessor, USF Health Heart Institute Director, Center for Regenerative Medicine -
Thomas McDonald, MD
Thomas McDonald, MDProfessor, USF Health Heart Institute Director, USF - Cardiogenetics Program -
Ganesh Halade, PhD
Ganesh Halade, PhDAssociate Professor, USF Health Heart Institute
Recent Publications
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Mast-cell expressed membrane protein-1 (MCEMP1)
MCEMP1 is higher in IPF patients with an increased risk of death. We aimed to establish its role in pulmonary fibrosis. Increased MCEMP1 expression was found in classical monocytes and alveolar macrophages in IPF. MCEMP1 is upregulated by TGFβ in THP-1 cells via SMAD3 and SP1 cooperation. MCEMP1 regulates TGFβ-mediated monocyte chemotaxis, adhesion, and migration.
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A Defect in Mitochondrial Protein Translation Influences Mitonuclear Com..
The regulation of informational flow from mitochondria to the nucleus (mitonuclear communication) in the heart is not fully characterized. We found that mitochondrial ribosomal protein S5 regulates cardiac function and key pathways during cardiac stress. Loss of Mrps5 in the developing heart leads to defects and embryonic lethality, while postnatal loss induces hypertrophy and heart failure.
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Anti-atherosclerotic therapies: Milestones, challenges, and emerging inn..
In patients with acute coronary syndromes, surgical revascularization with percutaneous coronary intervention has greatly reduced mortality rates. However, stent thrombosis and neo-atherosclerosis are major safety concerns of drug-eluting stents due to delayed re-endothelialization. This review summarizes current anti-atherosclerotic therapies and highlights emerging technologies in nanomedicine
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Accelerated lysine metabolism conveys kidney protection in salt-sensitiv..
Hypertension and kidney disease have been repeatedly associated with genomic variants and alterations of lysine metabolism. Here, we combined stable isotope labeling with untargeted metabolomics to investigate lysine’s metabolic fate in vivo. Dietary 13C6 labeled lysine was tracked to lysine metabolites across various organs.
USF Health Heart Institute News
USF Health $5.6 million study to define link between genetics and heart disease in many Friedreich's ataxia patients
Researchers at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine were awarded $5.6 million of expected funds for a 4-year study from the U.S. Department of Defense to examine why many people with Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA) go on to also develop heart disease, a major cause of death for those with FA.
“We still don’t have a full understanding of the genetic mutation for Friedrich’s ataxia to determine why so many patients go on to get heart disease – we need to know,” said Dr. Thomas McDonald, Principal investigator for the USF study.
Read more about the USF Health study being conducted define a link between genetics and heart disease Friedrich ataxia patients.
Congratulations to Dr. Wang and Dr. Mably!
Dr. Da-Zhi Wang and Dr. John Mably's article titled "Reduced Mitochondrial Protein Translation Promotes Cardiomyocyte Proliferation and Heart Regeneration" was published in Circulation 31 Oct 2023.
Congratulations to Dr. Wang and Dr. Mably!
Congratulations to Dr. Liggett!
Stephen Liggett, MD, vice dean of research for the Morsani College of Medicine and associate vice president for research at USF Health, was designated a Distinguished Professor.
Congratulations to Dr. Liggett!
Congratulations to Dae Hyun Lee!
Dae Hyun Lee received the American Heart Association Career Development Award for his project on MYC expression in cardiovascular disease. He is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at USF Health, mentored by experts.