Hill Lab
Recent Highlights
Kara and Collin go "back-to-back" to defend their dissertations!
5/29/25 and 5-30-2025
Kara Gouwens (MD/PhD student) and Collin Wells (PhD student) defended their respective theses on May 29th and May 30th. Both did very well. Kara defended her dissertation on the role of cardiac ketone body oxidation on myocardial hyperemia and exercise performance, and Collin defended his work on the role of metabolism in cardiac fibroblast phenotype and function. Both of these fine scientists have bright futures ahead. Next stops: Kara will enter her M3 year of medical school, and Collin will be heading to the University of Colorado for a postdoctoral position in the laboratory of Dr. Tim McKinsey. These two, along with Dan Nguyen, are the major hitters in our lineup. They will be missed!
Publication!
5-28-2025
Kara's paper was published in Circulation Research. This study shows that cardiac ketone body oxidation is required for hyperketonemia-induced improvements in exercise capacity. The study used a commercially available and widely used ketone body supplement and showed that its effects on exercise performance are underpinned by the ability of the heart to metabolize 3-hydroxybutyrate.
Hooding!
5-09-2025
Daniel was hooded! He will now move to his M3 year of the MD/PhD program. Selfishly, we will miss Dan, but we are excited to see him continue to succeed!
Publication!
2-14-2025
Daniel's paper titled, "Dietary Branched‐Chain Amino Acids Modify Postinfarct Cardiac Remodeling and Function in the Murine Heart" was published in Journal of the American Heart Association. This study provides proof‐of‐principle using a preclinical mouse model that dietary constituents can have marked effects on cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction.
Successful Defense!
2-12-2025
Congratulations to Daniel Nguyen, who successfully defended his dissertion today! He will be returning to medical school to complete the rest of his MD/PhD training. The man is a beast (in the best possible way!) and he will be a stellar physician-scientist!
Publication!
12-12-2024
Kara's paper titled, "Myocardial Hyperemia via Cardiomyocyte Catabolism of β-Hydroxybutyrate" was published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. This study shows that the circulating ketone, β-Hydroxybutyrate, increases myocardial perfusion and that its hyperemic effects are dependent on cardiomyocyte catabolism. The article was chosen for the cover image of the journal, with a local artist, Mr. Trevor Inkwell, kindly providing his artwork titled "Main Squeeze."
Publication!
01-2025
Tyler Jobe's paper titled, "Phase partitioning of the neutrophil oxidative burst is coordinated by accessory pathways of glucose metabolism and mitochondrial activity" was published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry. This study shows how neutrophils leverage multiple metabolic pathways to titrate the oxidative burst. This study is an example of the highly collaborative environment in the Center for Cardiometabolic Science. Tyler is a student of Dr. Marcin Wysoczynski, with whom we have collaborative projects.
