Email

michael.bround@bcm.edu

Positions

Assistant Professor

Integrative Physiology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX US

Addresses

BCM-Anderson Hall (Office)

One Baylor Plaza
Room 413BB
Houston, TX 77030
United States

BCM-Anderson Hall (Lab)

One Baylor Plaza
Room 413B
Houston, TX 77030
United States

Education

BSc from University of British Columbia

Vancouver, Canada

Biochemistry

PhD from University of British Columbia

Vancouver, Canada

Cell Biology

Postdoctoral Fellowship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Cincinnati, United States

Molecular Cardiovascular Biology

Professional Interests

• Mitochondria
• Cellular Metabolism
• Cell Death
• Calcium Signaling
• Molecular Mechanisms of Disease

Professional Statement

As a scientist I’m interested in how molecular biology controls cell function and effects whole body physiology in health and disease. My research focuses on the mitochondria, an important cellular organelle that is the site of high energy biochemistry in cells. Mitochondria are responsible for generating the majority of cellular ATP, the energy currency of the cell, as well as producing the reducing potential and molecular building blocks that underpin biosynthesis. Specifically, I’m interested in how this important organelle communicates with the cell to regulate metabolic function. Under homeostatic conditions the cell and mitochondria synchronize to couple energy production with demand, however in several diseases, such as diabetes and heart failure, this communication breaks down and energy metabolism becomes dysfunctional. In some illnesses, such as cardiac infarction, muscular dystrophy, and neurodegenerative disease, aberrant mitochondrial signals activate cell death processes which cause tissue necrosis. My goal is to understand the molecular biology of mitochondrial signaling to maximize energy metabolism and mitochondrial quality control, while preventing pathogenic cell death processes. The hope is this research will lead to new treatments for diseases such as cardiac ischemia reperfusion injury, muscular dystrophy, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Selected Publications

• Michael J Bround, Julian R Havens, Allen J York, Michelle A Sargent, Jason Karch, Jeffery D Molkentin "ANT-dependent MPTP underlies necrotic myofiber death in muscular dystrophy." Science Advances. 2023 Aug 25;9(34):eadi2767. Pubmed PMID: 37624892
• Michael J Bround, Eaman Abay, Jiuzhou Huo, Julian R Havens, Allen J York, Donald M Bers, Jeffery D Molkentin "MCU-independent Ca2+ uptake mediates mitochondrial Ca2+ overload and necrotic cell death in a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy." Scientific Reports. 2024 Mar 21;14(1):6751. Pubmed PMID: 38514795
• Jason Karch*, Michael J Bround*, Hadi Khalil, Michelle A Sargent, Nadina Latchman, Naohiro Terada, Pablo M Peixoto, Jeffery D Molkentin "Inhibition of mitochondrial permeability transition by deletion of the ANT family and CypD." Science Advances. 2019 Aug 28;5(8):eaaw4597. Pubmed PMID: 31489369
• Michael J Bround, Donald M Bers, Jeffery D Molkentin "A 20/20 view of ANT function in mitochondrial biology and necrotic cell death." JMCC. 2020 May 23;Jul(144):A1-A13. Pubmed PMID: 32454061