The Passano Foundation, Inc.

Eric N. Olson Ph.D.
Professor and Chairman of Molecular Biology
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas

Eric Olson discovered key transcription factors and mechanisms responsible for heart development and disease. His discoveries include the MEF2 transcription factor, which regulates differentiation of all muscle cell types; myocardin, a master switch for vascular muscle cell fate; and Hand1 and Hand2, which orchestrate the formation of the cardiac chambers. Olson revealed that aberrant calcium signaling acting through calcineurin and histone deacetylases produce cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. Most recently, Olson discovered a cohort of stress-responsive microRNAs that control myocyte growth, fibrosis, and angiogenesis in diseased hearts. He also discovered a new function for myosin heavy chain genes, revealing that they encode microRNAs within their introns, which govern cardiac contractility. Olson’s discoveries at the interface of basic science and medicine have profoundly influenced our understanding of the development and dysfunction of the cardiovascular system, providing new concepts in the quest for cardiovascular therapeutics.

Irina Burd, M.D., Ph.D.
Gynecology and Obstetrics
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Jonathon M. Gerber, M.D
Hematology
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Kevin N. Sheth, M.D.
Stroke and Neuro-Critical Care
University of Maryland School of Medicine