Donald Heistad, M.D. (Full Member)
Professor of Medicine, University of Iowa
Professor of Pharmaocology, University of Iowa
Deputy Director, CV Center, University of Iowa
Zahn Professor of Cardiology, University of Iowa

http://www.int-med.uiowa.edu/Divisions/Cardiology/Directory/DonaldHeistad.html

Research Interest    

A major focus of Dr. Heistad's laboratory is the use of state-of-the-art molecular pharmacologic approaches to understand vascular function and dysfunction in health and disease, as well as to develop therapies for vascular disease. Dr. Heistad's group has already dissected the roles of several key molecular players whose dysfunction leads to vascular disease. One of these is superoxide, whose effects in normal and diseased vessels is being explored in both rodents and primates. Dr. Heistad's group has also demonstrated that: 1) eNOS gene transfer reduces angiotensin II-induced endothelial dysfunction, 2) IL-10 protects nitric oxide-dependent relaxation in diabetes, 3) atherosclerosis regression reduces superoxide levels in nonhuman primates, and 4) gene therapy with the calcitonin gene-related peptide gene is capable of reversing cerebral vasospasm in dogs. The overall goal of these studies is to use gene transfer as a tool to study vascular biology, and to develop approaches that may be useful for gene therapy.

Selected Publications:

Lund, D.D., Chu, Y., Brooks, R.M., Faraci, F.M., and Heistad, D.D. 2007. Effects of a common human gene variant of ECSOD on endothelial function after endotoxin in mice. J. Physiol. (London), 584.2:583-590.

Yu, Y., Zhang, Z-H., Wei, S-G., Chu, Y., Weiss, R.M., Heistad, D.D., and Felder, R.B. 2007. Central Gene Transfer of Interleukin-10 Reduces hypothalamic inflammation and evidence of heart failure in rats after myocardial infarction. Circ. Res., 101:304-312.

Iida, S., Chu, Y., Weiss, R.M., Kang, Y-M., Faraci, F.M., and Heistad, D.D. 2006. Vascular effects of a common gene variant of extracellular superoxide dismutase in heart failure. Am. J. Physiol: Heart, 291:H914-920.

Brown, K.A., Chu, Y., Lund, D.D., Heistad, D.D., and Faraci, F.M. 2006. Gene transfer of extracellular superoxide dismutase protects against vascular dysfunction with aging. Am. J. Physiol., 290:H2600-H2605.

Publications from Gene Therapy Center

Publications from PubMed