2014 - present
Stanford University
Postdoctoral Fellow Researcher, Y. Joseph Woo, MD
My research focuses on the implementation of targeted and sustained release drug delivery systems for regenerating myocardium in the setting of ischemic cardiomyopathy. This strategy has been successful in a small animal model of heart failure, and we are currently performing a large animal translational study for preclinical evaluation.

1. Woo YJ, Taylor MD, Cohen JE, Jayasankar V, Bish LT, Burdick J, Pirolli TJ, Berry MF, Hsu V, Grand T.  Ethyl pyruvate preserves cardiac function and attenuates oxidative injury after prolonged myocardial ischemia. J Thoracic Cardiovasc Surg 2004;127:1262-1269.
2. Woo YJ, Zhang JCL, Taylor MR, Cohen JE, Sweeney HL. Persistent one year transgene expression after adeno-associated virus cardiac gene transfer.  International J of Cardiology 2005;100:421-426.
3. Taylor MD, Grand TJ, Cohen JE, Hsu V, Liao GP, Zentko S, Berry MF, Gardner TJ, Woo, YJ. Ethyl pyruvate enhances ATP production, reduces free radical production and preserves cardiac function in a rat model of off-pump coronary bypass. Heart Lung Circulation 2005;14:25-31.
4. Woo YJ, Grand TJ, Berry MF, Atluri A, Moise MA, Hsu V, Cohen J, Fisher O, Pirolli T, Burdick J, Taylor M, Zentko S, Jayasankar V, Gardner TJ, Sweeney HL.  Stromal cell-derived factor and granulocyte monocyte colony stimulating factor form a combined neovasculogenic therapy for ischemic cardiomyopathy. J Thoracic and Cardiovasc Surg 2005;130:321-329.
5. Woo YJ, Grand TJ, Zentko S, Cohen JE, Hsu V, Atluri P, Berry MF, Taylor MD, Moise MA, Burdick J, Fisher O, Kolakowski S.  Creatine phosphate administration preserves myocardial function in a model of off-pump coronary revascularization.  J Cardiovasc Surg 2005;46:297-305.
6. Atluri P, Liao GP, Panlilio CM, Hsu V, Leskowitz MJ, Morine KJ, Cohen JE, Berry MF, Suarez EE, Murphy DA, Lee WMF, Gardner TJ, Sweeney HL, Woo YJ. Neovasculogenic therapy to augment perfusion and preserve viability in ischemic cardiomyopathy.  Annals of Thoracic Surgery 2006;81:1728-1737.
7. Cohen JE, Atluri P, Taylor MD, Grand TJ, Liao GP, Panlilio CM, Suarez EE, Zentko SE, Hsu VM, Berry MF, Smith MJ, Gardner TJ, Sweeney HL, Woo YJ.  Fructose 1,6-diphosphate administration attenuates post-ischemic ventricular dysfunction.  Heart Lung and Circulation 2006;15:119-123.
8. Kolakowski S, Berry MF, Grand TJ, Fisher O, Moise MA, Cohen JE, Hsu V, Atluri P, Woo YJ. Placental growth factor provides a novel local angiogenic therapy for ischemic cardiomyopathy. J Cardiac Surg 2006;21:559-564.
9. Woo YJ, Panlilio CM, Cheng RK, Liao GP, Atluri P, Cohen JE, Chaudhry HW.  Therapeutic delivery of cyclin A2 induces myocardial regeneration and enhances cardiac function in ischemic heart failure. Circulation 2006;114(Suppl I):I206-13.
10. Atluri P, Morine KJ, Liao GP, Panlilio C, Berry MF, Hsu V, Cohen JE, Smith MJ, Suarez E, Sweeney HL, Woo YJ. Endogenous myocardial apelin ligand and APJ receptor expression. Cell&Molec Biol Letters 2007;12:127-8.  
11. Atluri P, Panlilio CM, Liao GP, Suarez EE, McCormick RC, Hiesinger W, Cohen JE, Smith MJ, Patel AB, Feng W, Woo YJ. Transmyocardial revascularization enhances myocardial vasculogenesis and hemodynamic function. J Thoracic Cardiovasc Surg 2008;135:283-291.
12. Fitzpatrick JR, Frederick JR, Hsu VM, Kozin ED, O’Hara ML, Howell E, McCormick RC, Laporte CM, Cohen JE, Southerland KW, Howard JL, Jessup ML, Morris RJ, Acker MA, Woo YJ. Preoperative parameters at the time of left ventricular assist device placement predict the need for biventricular mechanical support. J of Heart and Lung Transplantation 2008;27:1286-92.
13. Fitzpatrick JR, Frederick JR, Hiesinger W, Hsu VM, McCormick RC, Kozin ED, LaPorte CM, O’Hara ML, Howell E, Dougherty D, Cohen JE, Southerland KW, Howard JL, Paulson C, Acker MA, Morris RJ, Woo YJ. Early planned institution of biventricular mechanical circulatory support results in improved outcomes compared with delayed conversion of a left ventricular device to a biventricular device. J Thoracic and Cardiovasc Surg 2009:137;971-979.
14. Frederick JR, Fitzpatrick JR, McCormick RC, Harris DA, Kim AY, Muenzer JR, Smith MJ, Cohen JE, Hiesinger W, Atluri P, Woo YJ. Stromal cell-derived factor-1a activation of tissue engineered endothelial progenitor cell matrix enhances ventricular function after myocardial infarction by inducing neovasculogenesis. Circulation 2010;122:107-117.
15. Atluri P, Panlilio CM, liao GP, Hiesinger W, Harris DA, McCormick RC, Cohen JE, Jin T, Feng W, Levit RD, Dong N, Woo YJ. Acute myocardial rescue with endogenous endothelial progenitor cell therapy. Heart Lung & Circulation 2010:19(11):644-654.
16. Atluri P, Goldstone AB, Kobrin DM, Cohen JE, MacArthur JW, Howard JL, Jessup ML, Rame JE, Acker MA, Woo YJ. Ventricular assist device implant in the elderly is associated with increased, but respectable risk: a multi-institutional study. Ann Thorac Surg. 2013 Jul;96(1):141-7.
17. Atluri P, Goldstone AB, Fairman AS, Macarthur JW, Shudo Y, Cohen JE, Acker AL, Hiesinger W, Howard JL, Acker MA, Woo YJ. Predicting right ventricular failure in the modern, continuous flow left ventricular assist device era. Ann Thorac Surg. 2013 Sep;96(3):857-64.
18. Macarthur JW Jr, Cohen JE, B Goldstone A, Fairman AS, Edwards BB, Hornick MA, Atluri P, Woo YJ. Nonresectional Single-Suture Leaflet Remodeling for Degenerative Mitral Regurgitation Facilitates Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Repair. Ann Thorac Surg. 2013 Aug 6.
19. Shudo Y, Cohen JE, Macarthur JW, Atluri P, Hsiao PF, Yang EC, Fairman AS, Trubelja A, Patel J, Miyagawa S, Sawa Y, Woo YJ. Spatially oriented, temporally sequential smooth muscle cell-endothelial progenitor cell bi-level cell sheet neovascularizes ischemic myocardium. Circulation. 2013 Sep 10;128(26 Suppl 1):S59-68.
20. Macarthur JW Jr, Purcell BP, Shudo Y, Cohen JE, Fairman A, Trubelja A, Patel J, Hsiao P, Yang E, Lloyd K, Hiesinger W, Atluri P, Burdick JA, Woo YJ. Sustained Release of Engineered Stromal Cell-Derived Factor 1-α From Injectable Hydrogels Effectively Recruits Endothelial Progenitor Cells and Preserves Ventricular Function After Myocardial Infarction. Circulation. 2013 Sep 10;128(26 Suppl 1):S79-86.
21. Atluri P, Trubelja A, Fairman AS, Hsiao P, Macarthur JW, Cohen JE, Shudo Y, Frederick JR, Woo YJ. Normalization of postinfarct biomechanics using a novel tissue-engineered angiogenic construct. Circulation. 2013 Sep 10;128(26 Suppl 1):S95-S104.
22. Macarthur JW Jr, Cohen JE, McGarvey JR, Shudo Y, Patel JB, Trubelja A, Fairman AS, Edwards BB, Hung G, Hiesinger W, Goldstone AB, Atluri P, Wilensky RL, Pilla JJ, Gorman JH 3rd, Gorman RC, Woo YJ. Preclinical evaluation of the engineered stem cell chemokine stromal cell-derived factor 1α analog in a translational ovine myocardial infarction model. Circ Res. 2014 Feb 14;114(4):650-9. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.114.302884. Epub 2013 Dec 23. PubMed PMID: 24366171.
23. Trubelja A, MacArthur JW, Sarver JJ, Cohen JE, Hung G, Shudo Y, Fairman AS, Patel J, Edwards BB, Damrauer SM, Hiesinger W, Atluri P, Woo YJ. Bioengineered stromal cell-derived factor-1α analogue delivered as an angiogenic therapy significantly restores viscoelastic material properties of infarcted cardiac muscle. J Biomech Eng. 2014 Aug;136(8). doi: 10.1115/1.4027731. PubMed PMID: 24860865.
24. Cohen JE, Purcell BP, MacArthur JW Jr, Mu A, Shudo Y, Patel JB, Brusalis CM, Trubelja A, Fairman AS, Edwards BB, Davis MS, Hung G, Hiesinger W, Atluri P, Margulies KB, Burdick JA, Woo YJ. A bioengineered hydrogel system enables targeted and sustained intramyocardial delivery of neuregulin, activating the cardiomyocyte cell cycle and enhancing ventricular function in a murine model of ischemic cardiomyopathy. Circ Heart Fail. 2014 Jul;7(4):619-26. doi: 10.1161/ CIRCHEARTFAILURE.113.001273. Epub 2014 Jun 5. PubMed PMID: 24902740; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4157671.
25. Atluri P, Gaffey A, Howard J, Phillips E, Goldstone AB, Hornsby N, MacArthur JW, Cohen JE, Gutsche J, Woo YJ. Combined heart and liver transplantation can be safely performed with excellent short- and long-term results. Ann Thorac Surg. 2014 Sep;98(3):858-62. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2014.04.100. Epub 2014 Jul 25. PubMed PMID: 25069688.
26. Atluri P, Miller JS, Emery RJ, Hung G, Trubelja A, Cohen JE, Lloyd K, Han J, Gaffey AC, MacArthur JW, Chen CS, Woo YJ. Tissue-engineered, hydrogel-based endothelial progenitor cell therapy robustly revascularizes ischemic myocardium and preserves ventricular function. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2014 Sep;148(3):1090-7; discussion 1097-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2014.06.038. Epub 2014 Jun 28. PubMed PMID: 25129603; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4155940.
27. Goldstone AB, Howard JL, Cohen JE, MacArthur JW Jr, Atluri P, Kirkpatrick JN, Woo YJ. Natural history of coexistent tricuspid regurgitation in patients with  degenerative mitral valve disease: Implications for future guidelines. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2014 Aug 6. pii: S0022-5223(14)01060-5. doi:         10.1016/j.jtcvs.2014.08.001. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 25218532.