Circadian rhythm and the blood-brain barrier

Wide exterior shot of the Beckman Institute on a summer day.
Beckman faculty members Martha Gillette and Hyunjoon Kong received an NIH/DOD grant to study how circadian rhythm affects the blood-brain barrier’s permeability to small molecules and susceptibility to blood leakage. Their team will design a microfluidics-based chip from human stem cells to model...

Team deciphers how myotonic dystrophy generates lethal heart dysfunctions

Headshot of Auinash Kalsotra.
Roughly 80% of people with myotonic dystrophy – a common form of muscular dystrophy – experience dangerous heart ailments, and heart rhythm defects are the second-leading cause of death in those with the condition. In a new study, researchers traced the molecular events that lead to heart...

Exploring the Effect of Liver Disease on the Heart

Dr. Sayee Anakk and Bhoomika Mathur
Using mouse models that resembled the clinical cholestasis, or very high levels of bile acids in the liver, Dr. Sayee Anakk, with graduate student and first author Bhoomika Mathur, observed the effect of cholestasis on a key indicator of heart health.