Jessica Karch
Assistant Professor
Positions
- Assistant Professor
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Integrative Physiology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston
Education
- BS from Syracuse University
- 05/2009 - Syracuse
- PhD from Rutgers University- New Jersey Medical School
- 10/2015 - Newark
Professional Statement
The overall goal of my research program is to define the molecular mechanisms that link major risk factors, including hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, to the development and progression of cardiovascular disease and failure. Our laboratory seeks to identify these molecular pathways and their alterations in response to chronic stressors, with the ultimate goal of developing novel therapeutic strategies for cardiovascular disease.
Current areas of interest include defining the mechanisms of cardiac insulin resistance; investigating the role of stress-responsive proteins in cardiac physiology (exercise, pregnancy, and insulin sensitivity) and pathology (hypertension, ischemic injury, and insulin resistance); and defining the mechanisms of insulin-dependent cardiac circadian clock entrainment, as well as their disruption in insulin resistance and contribution to cardiac disease. Together, these studies aim to identify the molecular changes that drive cardiac dysfunction and uncover new therapeutic targets for the treatment of heart disease.
Current areas of interest include defining the mechanisms of cardiac insulin resistance; investigating the role of stress-responsive proteins in cardiac physiology (exercise, pregnancy, and insulin sensitivity) and pathology (hypertension, ischemic injury, and insulin resistance); and defining the mechanisms of insulin-dependent cardiac circadian clock entrainment, as well as their disruption in insulin resistance and contribution to cardiac disease. Together, these studies aim to identify the molecular changes that drive cardiac dysfunction and uncover new therapeutic targets for the treatment of heart disease.
Selected Publications
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Pfleger J, Gross P, Johnson J, Gao E, Houser SR, Koch WJ. " G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 contributed to impaired fatty acid metabolism in the failing heart " J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2018 Oct ;
Pubmed PMID: 30171848. -
Pfleger J, Gresham K, Koch WJ. " G-protein-coupled receptor kinases in the heart: therapeutic targets " Nat Rev Cardiol. 2019 Jun ;
Pubmed PMID: 31186538. -
Pfleger J, Coleman RC, Ibetti J, Roy R, Kyriazis ID, Gao E, Drosatos K, Koch WJ. " Genomic binding patterns of forkhead box protein O1 reveal its unique role in cardiac hypertrophy " Circulation. 2020 Sep ;
Pubmed PMID: 32640834. -
Pfleger J, He M, Abdellatif M. " Mitochondrial complex II is a source of the reserve respiratory capacity that is regulated by metabolic sensors and promotes cell survival " Cell Death Dis. 2015 Jul 30;
Pubmed PMID: 26225774.
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