Peter VanBuren, MD

Education:

Training:

Residency

Fellowship

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Biography:

Dr. VanBuren focuses his clinical and research activities on mechanisms underlying cardiomyopathy and heart failure as well as identification of optimal treatment of those with heart failure. He is the principle investigator of a National Institutes of Health grant studying “Contractile Dysfunction in Ischemic Heart Disease” and recently completed a study for the American Heart Association on “Assessment of left ventricular assist devices on Contractile Protein Composition and Function in Human Cardiomyopathy.” He is a manuscript reviewer for many peer reviewed journals and has presented his research findings at national and international meetings. Dr. VanBuren received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Vermont.

Major Research Interests:

Delineated the role of sarcomeric proteins in the contractile deficit of human myocardial failure. With the use of human myocardial biopsy samples and an in vitro model of muscle contraction, Dr. VanBuren has identified key molecular defects in the contractile machinery. This knowledge can be applied to emerging therapies that specifically target maladapted myocardial signaling pathways. Through such an approach improved survival in patients with heart failure may ultimately be achieved.

Major Current Grants

Grant Title:  Myofibrillar Remodeling in Human Valvular Heart Disease
Sponsor:  National Institutes of Health
Principal Investigator:  Peter VanBuren

Grant Title:  Molecular Mechanisms of FHC and DEM mutant actomyosin
Sponsor:  National Institutes of Health
Co-Investigator:  Peter VanBuren

Grant Title: Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Sarcomeric Disease
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Co-Investigator: Peter VanBuren

Grant Title: Contractile Dysfunction in Ischemic Heart Disease
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Principal Investigator: Peter VanBuren

Grant Title: Mechanoenergetics of Hypertrophy and Failure
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Co-Investigator: Peter VanBuren

Publications:

VanBuren P, Work SS, Warshaw DM.  Enhanced force generation by smooth muscle myosin in vitro. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA.1994; 91:202-205.

VanBuren P, Waller GS, Harris DE, Trybus KM, Warshaw DM, Lowey S.  The essential light chain is required for full force production by skeletal muscle myosin. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA  1994; 91:12403-12407.

VanBuren P, Harris DE, Alpert NR, Warshaw DM.  Cardiac V1 and V3 myosins differ in their hydrolytic and mechanical activities in vitro. Circ Res 1995; 77:439-444.

VanBuren P, Palmiter KA, Warshaw DM. Tropomyosin directly modulates actomyosin mechanical performance at the level of a single actin filament. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1999; 96:12488-12493.

VanBuren P, Alix SL, Gorga JA, Begin KJ, LeWinter MM, Alpert NR. Cardiac Troponin T Isoforms Demonstrate Similar Effects on Mechanical Performance in a Regulated Contractile System Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2002; 282:H1665-1671.

Noguchi T, Kihara Y, Begin KJ, Gorga JA, Palmiter KA, LeWinter MM, VanBuren P. Altered Myocardial Thin Filament Function in the Failing Dahl Salt Sensitive Rat Heart: Amelioration by Endothelin Blockade. Circulation 2003; 107:630-635.

Gorga JA, Fishbaugher D, VanBuren P. Activation of the Calcium Regulated Thin Filament by Myosin Strong-Binding. Biophys J 2003; 85:2484-2491.

Foster DB, Noguchi T, VanBuren P, Murphy A, Van Eyk JE. C-terminal truncation of cardiac troponin I uncouples the force-ATPase relation: implications for the pathophysiology of myocardial stunning. Circ Res 2003; 93: 917-924.

Noguchi T; Hünlich M, Camp PC, Begin KJ, El-Zaru M, Patten R, Leavitt BJ, Ittleman FP, Alpert NR, LeWinter MM, VanBuren P. Thin filament-based modulation of contractile performance in human heart failure. Circulation. 2004; 110:982-987.

Sakthivel S, Gulick J, Finley N, Lorenz JN, Rosevear P, Kim S, VanBuren P, Martin L, Robbins J. In vivo analysis of PKA and PKC-mediated phosphorylation of cardiac troponin I. J Biol Chem 2005; 280:703-714.