Olson Lab
Dr. Aaron Olson is unraveling how changes in cardiac energy production affect heart function. Congenital heart disease and other cardiac problems change how the heart produces energy. While researchers know that these changes impact heart function, they don't know the mechanisms of this interaction. By identifying these mechanisms and understanding how they work, Olson and his colleagues are working toward innovative treatments for heart disease.
For instance, Olson's team is investigating how the gene c-Myc regulates cardiac hypertrophy - a thickening of the heart muscle often caused by congenital heart disease, high blood pressure or other heart problems. This research builds on the observation that cardiac metabolism changes during hypertrophy. Olson and his colleagues are using animal models to study whether Myc influences this relationship by spurring changes in the combination of fuels that the heart uses. Olson's team is also investigating whether stopping this shift can prevent hypertrophy and heart failure.
Partnership Opportunities
Aaron K Olson, MD
Aaron Olson, MD, is an investigator in the Norcliffe Foundation Center for Integrative Brain Research, an attending physician at Seattle Children's Hospital and an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He received his medical training at the University of Minnesota Medical School, completed a pediatrics residency at the University of Chicago, and completed a fellowship in pediatric cardiology at the University of Iowa.
