Aortopathy, Valvular Heart Disease

1. Prospective, non-randomized, multicenter clinical evaluation of the Edwards pericardial aortic & mitral bioprostheses (models 11000a & 11000m) with a new tissue treatment platform (Commence trial) (PI: Todd Rosengart)

2. Multi-center experience with the rapid deployment Edwards Intuity valve system for aortic valve replacement (transform trial) (PI: Todd Rosengart)

3. Aortic valve operative outcomes in Marfan patients (PI: Joseph Coselli)

4. Descending thoracic aortic aneurysm endovascular repair post approval study (Thrive) (PI: Joseph Coselli)

5. Evaluation of the gore conformable tag® thoracic endoprosthesis for treatment of acute complicated type b aortic dissection (PI: Joseph Coselli)

6. Evaluation of the gore conformable tag® thoracic endoprosthesis for the primary treatment of aneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta (PI: Joseph Coselli)

7. Evaluation of the clinical performance of the valiant thoracic stent graft with the Captivia delivery system for the treatment of acute, complicated type b aortic dissections (PI: Joseph Coselli)

8. National registry of genetically triggered thoracic aortic aneurysms and cardiovascular conditions (GenTAC) (PI: Scott LeMaire)

9. Validation of a new imaging biomarker to predict adverse cardiovascular events in connective tissue disorders (PI: Shaine Morris)

10. Validation of near- infrared spectroscopy for neuromonitoring during moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest for total aortic arch replacement: a comparison of two technologies with jugular venous bulb oximetry (PI: Wei Pan)

11. Near-infrared spectroscopy: correlation of intraoperative values and perioperative outcomes (PI: Wei Pan)

12. Zenith® Spiral-z® AAA Iliac leg graft post-market registry (PI: Panos Kougias)

13. A biobank of atherosclerosis and valvular disease (PI: Joel Morrisett)

14. The effect of TAVR on cardiovascular biomarkers (PI: Biykem Bozkurt)

Molecular mechanisms of aortic aneurysms and dissections (PI: Scott LeMaire)

The broad research focus of this project is to understand the mechanisms underlying thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections. The Cardiothoracic Surgery Research Laboratory at Baylor College of Medicine uses an integrative approach for studying aortic aneurysms and dissections by employing techniques in genetic analysis, human tissue and biomarker analysis, cell and molecular biology techniques, and experiments using mouse models of aortic disease. The laboratory also houses the Thoracic Aortic Disease Tissue Bank, which includes blood and aortic tissue samples and corresponding phenotypic data from over 3,000 patients with aortic aneurysms or dissections. This unique resource enables our laboratory to study the genetic and molecular aspects of thoracic aortic disease in distinct disease subgroups.

Basant Arya, M.D. - Left ventricular torsion dynamics using 2D speckle tracking; cardiac stress testing and multi modality evaluation of valvular heart disease

Faisal Bakaeen, M.D. - Transcatheter and minimally invasive valve replacements

Neal Barshes, M.D., MPH - Peripheral vascular disease, diabetes mellitus

Gerd Brunner, M.D. - Peripheral arterial disease, MR imaging

Johnny Chen, M.D., Ph.D. - HIV associated CV disease, vascular tissue engineering, pancreatic cancer

Benjamin Cheong, M.D. - CV MRI/CT imaging

Lorraine Cornwell, M.D. - TAVR, optimization of clinical outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery, especially minimally invasive procedures, off-pump CABG, valve repair, and VATS lobectomy

Joseph Coselli, M.D. - Outcomes in patients with aortopathies

Kim de la Cruz, M.D. - Aorta diseases, myocardial revascularization, mechanical circulatory support

Heather Dickerson, M.D. - Pediatric cardiac critical care, including extracorporeal life support

Henri Justino, M.D. - Interventional cardiac catheterization

Panos Kougias, M.D. - Endovascular treatment of aortic aneurysms, venous disease, vascular occlusive disease

Ramkumar Krishnamurthy, Ph.D. - Research and Translational Imaging, Pediatric Radiology

Veronica Lenge De Rosen, M.D. - Imaging of coronary vasculature

Peter Lin, M.D. - Endovascular treatment of venous and arterial diseases

Carlos Mery, M.D. - Clinical outcome research, computational models to explain congenital heart disease

Shaine Morris, M.D., MPH - Advanced imaging techniques for genetically-triggered aortopathies

Joel Morrisett, Ph.D. - Carotid atherosclerosis, MRI and microimaging

Ying Shen, M.D. - Aortic aneurysms and dissection

Addison Taylor, M.D., Ph.D. - Hypertension, clinical pharmacology