Michael R. Rosen MD, FHRS

Dr. Michael R. Rosen is the Gustavus A. Pfeiffer Professor of Pharmacology, Professor of Pediatrics, and Director of the Center for Molecular Therapeutics at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University in New York. He is also Adjunct Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at Stony Brook University and a member of Stony Brook’s Institute for Molecular Cardiology. (1) Cardiac memory: Dr. Rosen and collaborators have identified the mechanisms whereby altered activation of the heart temporarily or permanently alters the expression of repolarization. Most importantly these studies help us understand the early molecular-biophysical and genetic changes that initiate remodeling in the setting of pacemaker therapy and specific arrhythmias. These studies are funded by the NHLBI; (2) Gene and stem cell therapies. The most advanced aspect of this research is on biological pacemaking, in which use of adult human mesenchymal stem cells as a platform loaded with cardiac pacemaker genes is being tested as an alternative to electronic pacemaker therapy. The potential advantage of this approach is that it offers a more physiological pacemaker therapy than does electronic pacing. Dr. Rosen’s group also is working with gene and cell therapies of tachyarrhythmias, stem cells to effect myocardial replacement and repair and stem cells as platforms to introduce silencing RNA to various cell types as a potential anti-cancer therapy. These studies are funded by NHLBI and by NYSTEM.