‘David Merryman’
Merryman, Lindsley make headway in drug development to cure pulmonary arterial hypertension
Sep. 13, 2023—Research led by David Merryman, a professor of biomedical engineering, pharmacology and medicine who holds the Walters Family Chair, has resulted in the development of VU6047534, a new drug that treats pulmonary arterial hypertension—a type of high blood pressure that affects arteries in the lungs and in the heart—without serious neurological side effects. Merryman conducted...
David Merryman receives engineering’s inaugural Walters Family Chair
Sep. 16, 2019—Biomedical Engineering Professor David Merryman has received the School of Engineering’s inaugural Walters Family Chair. Merryman was recognized by Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan R. Wente and Philippe Fauchet, Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean, during a ceremony Sept. 16 at the Student Life Center. “I am very honored to receive the recognition of being the...
Arthritis drug could be first to stop heart valve calcification
Jun. 13, 2017—The first drug to treat calcification of heart valves may be one originally designed for rheumatoid arthritis. Today in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, Vanderbilt University researchers published findings that the drug – a monoclonal antibody known as SYN0012 – shows promise in keeping heart valve leaflets supple. About a quarter of...
Heart valve disease research earns grad student a young investigator award
Apr. 24, 2017—A biomedical engineering graduate student at Vanderbilt University has received a young investigator award for her work on heart valve disease. Doctoral student Meghan Bowler won the Allan D. Callow Young Investigator Award for best poster presentation at the 15th biennial meeting of the International Society for Applied Cardiovascular Biology. Bowler investigates the mechanism of calcific...
Organ-on-a-chip mimics heart’s biomechanical properties
Feb. 23, 2017—John Wikswo with image of the I-Wire heart-on-a-chip device projected behind him. (Joe Howell / Vanderbilt) The human heart beats more than 2.5 billion times in an average lifetime. Now scientists at Vanderbilt University have created a three-dimensional organ-on-a-chip that can mimic the heart’s amazing biomechanical properties. “We created the I-Wire Heart-on-a-Chip so that we...
Dean presents 2015 engineering faculty, staff awards
May. 5, 2015—The School of Engineering recognized faculty and staff members for their exemplary research, teaching, and professional service during the 2014-2015 academic year. At the final faculty meeting of the year Dean Philippe Fauchet announced faculty promotions, recognized emeritus professors, and he presented four annual awards during a reception following the May 5 meeting. David Merryman...
Baby hearts need rhythm to develop correctly
Feb. 19, 2014— Microphotograph of a chick embryo clearly shows the U-shaped tube from which the heart develops. At this stage of heart is the size of a comma on a printed page. (M.K. Sewell-Loftin / Vanderbilt) To develop correctly, baby hearts need rhythm…even before they have blood to pump. “We have discovered that mechanical forces are...
BME researchers look at novel therapeutic approach to prevent hardened heart valves
Dec. 28, 2012—Heart valve disease has few non-surgical therapeutic options. To develop strategies for treating and preventing heart valve disease, W. David Merryman, Ph.D., assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering, and colleagues are studying the cellular signaling that leads to calcification (hardening) of the aortic valve. Previous studies have shown that the TGF-beta1 signaling pathway activates a process...