Wolf Lab

Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center
Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
University of Virginia Health System

Mission Statement

The Wolf lab in the Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center at UVA focuses on the development of new therapeutics to treat cardiovascular diseases. The mammalian heart has little, if any, ability to generate new cardiomyocytes after injury, and identifying cycling cells is challenging. We develop sophisticated transgenic mice to label and genetically manipulate adult cycling cardiomyocytes and use a variety of disease models to investigate cardiac regeneration. Additionally, we use cardiac MRI to investigate the mechanisms causing microvascular coronary disease and impaired myocardial perfusion reserve. Our mission is to better understand the signals mediating cardiomyocyte growth, hypertrophy, and heart failure.

    Our primary goals are to:

  1. Identify the mechanisms that prevent adult cardiomyocyte cycling and manipulate these pathways to improve heart function after myocardial infarction
  2. Understand the contributions of epicardial adipose tissue to impaired myocardial perfusion in diet-induced obesity using cardiac MRI
  3. Translate systems pharmacology and network signaling to animal models of cardiac hypertrophy
Research
To find out more about our research, click here.
Members
To learn about our lab members, click here.
Publications
To see our most recent publications, click here.

Selected High-Impact Publications

  1. Shah, S.A., Reagan, C.E., Billcheck, H.O., Bradley, L.A., French, B.A., Isakson, B.E., Wolf, M.J., and Epstein, F.H. Role of iNOS in preventing and reversing coronary microvascular disease due to a high-fat high-sucrose diet. JACC: Basic to Translational Science (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacbts.2022.11.005.

  2. Young, A. Bradley, L.A., Farrar, E., Bilcheck, H.O., Tkachenko, S., Saucerman, J.J., Bekiranov, S., and Wolf, M.J.* Inhibition of DYRK 1a Enhances Cardiomyocyte Cycling after Myocardial Infarction. Circ Res. (2022); 130:1345–1361.

  3. Drake, J.C., Wilson, R.J., Laker, R.C., Guan, Y., Spaulding, H.R., Nichenko, A.S., Shen, W., Shang, H., Dorn, M.V. Huang, K., Zhang, M., Bandara, A.B., Brisendine, M.H, Kashatus, J.A., Sharma, P.R., Young, A., Gautam, J., Cao, R., Wallrabe, H., Chang, P.A., Wong, M., Desjardins, E.M., Hawley, S.A., Christ, G.J., Kashatus, D.F., Miller, C.L., Wolf, M.J., Periasamy, A., Steinberg, G.R., Hardie, D.G., and Yan, Z. Mitochondria-localized AMPK responds to local energetics and plays a role in exercise and energetic stress-induced mitophagy. (2021) Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 118 (37) e2025932118.

  4. Good, M.E.*, Young, A., Wolpe, A.G., Johnstone, S.R., Hall, P.J., Duffy, C.K., Blanton, R.M., Leitinger, N. Wolf, M.J.*, and Isakson, B.E.* Endothelial pannexin 1 contributes to impaired cardiac function following myocardial infarction. (2021) Circ. Res. Apr 16;128(8):1211-1213.

  5. Bradley, L.A., Young, A., Li, H. Billcheck, H.O. and Wolf, M.J.* (2021) Loss of Endogenously Cycling Adult Cardiomyocytes Worsens Myocardial Function. Circ. Res. 128 (2):155-168.

  6. Cresci, S., Pereira, N.L., Ahmad, F., Byku, M., de las Fuentes, L., Lanfear, D.E., Reilly, C.M., Owens, A.T., and Wolf, M.J.* (2019) AHA Scientific Statement Heart Failure in the Era of Precision Medicine. A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association, Circulation: Genomics and Precision Medicine. 12(10):458-485.

Professional Affiliations

  1. 2021-present - Member of the American Physiological Society - Link

  2. 2017-present - Member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation - Link

  3. 2015-2016 - American Heart Association Council on Functional Genomics & Translational Biology- member of the Professional Education and Publications Committee - Link

  4. 2015-2019 - Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences-American Heart Association- Louis N. and Arnold M. Katz Prize for Basic Science Research for Young Investigators Selection Committee - American Heart Association - Link

  5. 2014-2017 - Associate Editor – Fly - Landes Bioscience (Specialty Peer Reviewed Journal pertaining to Drosophila research)

  6. 2012-2015 - Editorial Consultant – Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Heart Failure - Link

  7. 2010-2011 - Member of the Scientific Planning Committee Heart Failure Society of America (Developed and moderated scientific sessions pertaining to translational and clinical aspects of heart failure) - Link

  8. 2010-2011 - Member of International Society of Heart Research - Link

  9. 2007 - Member of the Genetics Society of America - Link

  10. 2005-present - Member of the American Heart Association - Link


Associated Websites (Departments)

  1. The Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center at UVA
  2. UVA Health
  3. University of Virginia
  4. Heart and Vascular Center Fontaine
  5. UVA Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics

Collaborators (with website links)

  1. Jeff Saucerman
  2. Fred Epstein
  3. Gary Owens
  4. Ken Walsh
  5. Brant Isakson
  6. Elizabeth McNally (Northwestern)
  7. Don Fox (Duke)

Currently Hiring

(email Dr. Wolf mjw5mc@virginia.edu)

  1. Post-Docs
  2. Rotating Graduate Students
  3. Summer Medical Students
  4. Foreign Exchange Program Students