Tetsuro Wakatsuki, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Phone: (414) 456-4466
Email: twakatsuki@mcw.edu
Website: http://hmgc.mcw.edu/laboratories/
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Washington University, 1992
Ph.D. Biophysics, Washington University, 1999
The heart beats at least 80,000 to 90,000 times per day without stopping. It is an amazing mechanical pump that maintains the physiological functions of our body for a lifetime.
I am interested in the issues related to the cardiovascular system, especially in its mechanical properties and their regulation. For our study, reconstituted tissues are used instead of animal models. For example, we developed engineered heart tissues that contract spontaneously in vitro. We can also reconstitute tissues that mimic normal and pathological properties of hearts, blood vessels, skeletal muscles, connective tissues, and skin. We believe the reconstituted tissue serves as a bridge system to fill the gap of our knowledge obtainable using cell culture and animal models.
Recent publications:
Wakatsuki T, Schlessinger J, and Elson EL. The Heart's Biochemical Response to Hypertension and Exercise. Trends Biochem Sci. 2004; 29(11): 609-17.
Wakatsuki T, Fee JA, and Elson EL, Phenotypic Screening for Pharmaceuticals using Tissue Constructs. Curr Pharma Biotech. 2004; 5: 181-189.
Emmert DA, Fee JA, Goeckeler ZM, Wakatsuki T, Elson EL, Herring P, Gallagher PJ, and Wysolmerski RB. Rho-kinase-mediated Calcium-independent Contraction in Rat Embryo Fibroblasts. Am J of Phys Cell Phys. 2004; 286: C8-21.
Gloushankova NA, Wakatsuki T, Troyanovsky RB, Elson EL, Troyanovsky SM. Continual assembly of desmosomes within stable intercellular contacts of epithelial A-431 cells. Cell Tissue Res. 2003; 314: 399-410.
Wagenseil JE, Wakatsuki T, Okamoto RJ, Zahalak GI, and Elson EL. One-Dimensional Viscoelastic Behavior of Fibroblast Populated Collagen Matrices. J Biomech Eng. 2003; 125: 719-25.
Wakatsuki T, Elson EL. Reciprocal Interactions between Cells and Extracellular Matrix during Remodeling of Tissue Constructs. Biophys Chem. 2003; 100, 593-605.
Wakatsuki T, Wysolmerski RB, Elson EL. Mechanics of Cell Spreading; Role of Myosin II, J Cell Sci. 2003; 116: 1617-1625.
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