Callie Kwartler, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Research Interests: My lab works on molecular and epigenetic mechanisms driving smooth muscle cell fate specification and to assess how those pathways or chromatin remodeling changes are altered in patients with moyamoya disease. Moyamoya disease (MMD), characterized by bilateral progressive stenosis and occlusion of the internal carotid arteries, is a common cause of stroke in children. Currently, the only treatment for MMD patients is surgical correction, and the disease causes high morbidity and mortality. Although multiple genetic factors predisposing to MMD have been identified, there is no consensus about a common mechanism of disease pathogenesis. Pathology from the affected vessels suggests that smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation and migration may be an important driver of the disease. Of the known genes for MMD, many encode proteins involved in chromatin remodeling. Our data so far supports they hypothesis that dysregulation of chromatin remodeling prevents SMCs from fully differentiating and that the lack of differentiation causes excessive proliferation, migration, and reliance on glycolysis for energy, thus underlying MMD pathogenesis. We are a molecular biology lab that uses mouse models and induced pluripotent stem cell models to investigate this hypothesis.
Current projects focus on:
The role of nuclear actin in SMC development
The INO80 chromatin remodeling complex in SMC development
Glycolytic metabolism as a common phenotype among MMD patients that can be exploited therapeutically
NAVBO Activities:
Member (Education Committee July 2023-June 2026); specifically responsible for organizing Webinars and Career Development Forums
Poster Judging (Vascular Biology 2024)
Panelist for Early-Stage Investigator dinner (Vascular Biology 2024)
Organizer, Career Development breakfast (Vascular Biology 2024, 2025)
Oral presenter (Vascular Biology 2023, 2021, 2019)
Poster presenter (Vascular Biology 2024, 2022, 2011, IVBM 2022, 2016, 2010)
Related Experience:
Editorial Board member (Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol) 2023-present
Mentor for Early Career Editorial Board (Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol) 2024-present
Member (Diversity Committee for the Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, American Heart Association, July 2023-June 2025)
Reviewer, American Heart Association (Cardiac biology study section, Career Development Award, 2024 and 2025; Fellowship Vascular 2 study section, 2024)
Member, Animal Welfare Committee at UTHealth (2024-2027)
Member, McGovern Medical School Graduate Student Education Committee (2023-2026)