My Research

Cardiovascular disease mechanisms

We aim to understand the common cellular mechanisms that underlie cardiovascular diseases. We define new biology, identify new biomarkers and drug targets, and translate scientific tools for patient benefit.

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Selected publications

Chen H, et al. WWP2 regulates pathological cardiac fibrosis by modulating SMAD2 signaling. Nature Communications. 2019 Aug 9;10(1):3616. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-11551-9. PMID: 31399586

Ng B, Dong J, D’Agostino G, Viswanathan S, Widjaja AA, Lim W-W, Ko NSJ, Tan J, Chothani SP, Huang B, Xie C, Pua CJ, Chacko A-M, Guimaraes-Camboa N, Evans SM, Byrne AJ, Maher TM, Liang J, Noble PW, Schafer S, Cook SA. (2019). Interleukin 11 is a therapeutic target in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Science Translational Medicine, in press.

Widjaja AA, Singh BK, Adami E, Viswanathan S, Dong J, D’Agostino GA, Ng B, Wen Lim W, Tan J, Paleja BS, Tripathi M, Yun Lim S, Shekeran SG, Chotani SP, Rabes A, Sombetzki M, Bruinstroop E, Pei Min L, Sinha RA, Albani S, Yen PM, Schafer S, Cook SA. (2019). Inhibiting Interleukin 11 Signaling Reduces Hepatocyte Death and Liver Fibrosis, Inflammation, and Steatosis in Mouse Models of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis. Gastroenterology. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2019.05.002

Ware et al. Genetic Etiology for Alcohol-Induced Cardiac Toxicity. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018 May 22;71(20):2293-2302. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2018.03.462. PMID: 29773157.

Schafer S, Viswanathan S, Widjaja AA, Lim W-W, Moreno-Moral A, Daniel DeLaughter DM, Ng B, Patone G, Chow K, Khin E, Tan J, Chothani SP, Ye L, Rackham OJL, Ko NSJ, Sahib NE, Jian Pua C, Zhen NTG, Xie C, Wang M, Maatz H, Shiqi Lim S, Kathrin Saar K, Blachut S, Petretto E, Schmidt S, Putoczki T, Guimarães-Camboa N, Wakimoto H,  van Heesch S, Sigmundsson K, Lim SL, Soon JL, Chao VTT , Chua YL, Tan TE, Evans SM, Loh YJ, Jamal MH, Ong KK, Chua KC, Ong B-H, Chakaramakkil MJ, Seidman JG, Seidman CE, Hubner N, Sin KYK, Cook SA. (2017). IL-11 is a crucial determinant of cardiovascular fibrosis. Nature. 552, 110–115.

Schafer S, de Marvao A, Adami E, Fiedler LR, Ng B, Khin E, Rackham OJL, van Heesch S, Pua CJ, Kui M, Walsh R, Tayal U, Prasad SK, Dawes TJW, Ko NSJ, Sim D, Chan LLH, Chin CWL, Mazzarotto F, Barton PJ, Kreuchwig F, de Kleijn DPV, Totman T, Biffi C, Tee N, Rueckert D, Schneider V, Faber A, Regitz-Zagrosek V, Seidman JG, Seidman CE, Linke WA, Kovalik J-P, O’Regan D, Ware JS, Hubner N, Cook SA. (2017). Titin truncating variants affect heart function in disease cohorts and the general population. Nature Genetics. 49, 46-53.

Wang M, et al. Wars2 is a determinant of angiogenesis. Nature Communications. (2016) Jul 8;7:12061.

Schafer S, Adami E, Heinig M, Rodrigues KEC, Kreuchwig F, Silhavy J, van Heesch S, Simaite D, Rajewsky N, Cuppen E, Pravenec M, Vingron M, Cook SA & Hubner N. (2015). Translational regulation shapes the molecular landscape of complex disease phenotypes. Nature Communications. 6, 7200.

Roberts AM, Ware JS, Herman DS, Schafer S, Baksi J, Bick AG, Buchan RJ, Walsh R, John S, Wilkinson S, Mazzarotto F, Felkin LE, Gong S, MacArthur JAL, Cunningham F, Flannick J, Gabriel SB, Altshuler DM, Macdonald PS, Heinig M, Keogh AM, Hayward CS, Banner NR, Dudley J. Pennell DJ, Declan P. O’Regan DP, Ru San T, de Marvao A, Dawes TJW, Gulati A, Birks EJ, Yacoub MH, Radke M, Gotthardt M, Wilson JG, O’Donnell CJ, Prasad SK, Barton PJR, Fatkin D, Hubner N, Seidman JG, Seidman CE, Cook SA. (2015). Integrated allelic, transcriptional, and phenomic dissection of the cardiac effects of titin truncations in health and diseaseScience Translational Medicine. 7, 270, 270ra6.

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