Welcome to the Butcher Lab! We identify principals regulating embryonic valvular development and use the findings to motivate regenerative engineering strategies for heart and valve disease.
Welcome to the Butcher Lab
Our Main Areas of Research
Thrust 1: Biomechanical Regulation of Valvulogenesis
Heart valves initiate as specific regions of endocardium within the atrioventricular canal and outflow tract of the heart tube that undergo an endocardial to mesenchymal transformation (EMT), formi
Thrust 2: Endothelial-Interstitial Cell Interactions in Valve Homeostasis and Disease
The only treatment for heart valve disease is prosthetic valve replacement.
Thrust 3: Heart Valve Regeneration and Tissue Engineering
The prosthetic valves available to treat heart valve disease are poorly suited for younger and more active patients.
Recent News
Latest Publications
Biofabrication of Thick Vascularized Neo-Pedicle Flaps for Reconstructive Surgery.
Stephens, C., Spector, J.A., Butcher, J.T.
Translational Medicine. 2019 Sep;211:84-122. doi: 10.1016/j.trsl.2019.05.003. Epub 2019 May 21. Review. PMID: 31170376.
Calpain 9 as a Novel Therapeutic Target in TGFb-Induced Mesenchymal Transition and Fibrosis.
David H. Kim, James D. Beckett, Varun Nagpal, Manuel A. Seman-Senderos, Russell A. Gould, Tyler J. Creamer, Elena Gallo MacFarlane, Yichun Chen, Djahida Bedja, Jonathan T. Butcher, Wayne Mitzner, Rosanne Rouf, Shoji Hata, Daniel S. Warren, Harry C. Dietz.
Science Translational Medicine. 2019 Jul 17;11(501). pii: eaau2814. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aau2814. PMID: 31316008.